HR 6W Elissa the Woodcrafter
by slytherinsal
Summary: Elissa elects to leave the weyr to complete her apprenticeship at the Woodcrafter Hall in Lemos. 3-03-2522 to 11-01-2523
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was happening at last.

Elissa was to enter the Woodcrafter Hall as a half-trained apprentice!

She thanked Melth, the dragon of Journeyman Woodcrafter Bronze Rider H'llon, as she slithered down his shimmering bronze flank and trotted to follow the long stride of the Journeyman who had trained her. He led her quickly to Master Woodcrafter Bendarek's room for introduction.

The Woodcrafter Hall consisted of a complex of stone buildings, interconnected by covered passages, some above ground, others semi or wholly submerged, only the slate roofs visible. The whole was in a scrupulously green free yard, but close – many holders would have said perilously close – were the trees that fed the craft with its raw materials. Hardwoods were still few; likewise the fruit trees. Softwoods, rapid growing, crawled far up the foothills of the mountain against which the Crafthall was set. But dominating everything were the huge, soaring skybrooms. Flat topped, they sread a great canopy, its upper surface adapted against Thread, exuding a resin that resisted it, and that had numerous other uses. And though the Crafthall was only as old as the current pass, the numerous woods that could be used, local or imported, had been used to decorate it. Internal beams had patterns running down them; and the door posts around the Mastercraftsman's room was covered in carvings, cheerful caricatures showing the man himself engaged in various woodcrafting activities! Elissa grinned at the comical expression of pain on the face of one figure which had apparently dropped a chip carving mallet on his foot – Master Bendarek evidently had a good sense of humour to laugh at himself!

Nervously, Elissa entered behind H'llon. the master Woodcrafter smiled kindly at the big-eyed young girl.

"I have good reports of your progress, Elissa" he told her; "And the pieces you have presented are certainly well up to standard. You will be able to cover a wider range of skills here than H'llon can provide, but I think you will find yourself well ahead in both papermaking and turning."

H'llon had specialised in papermaking before going to High Reaches Weyr; and Elissa's own experimental work had impressed and pleased the Master. The turned legs on her 'prentice piece were good too; and marked her out from many apprentices trained out of the Crafthall, few of whose journeyman-teachers had lathes, even of the old fashioned bow-driven kind. It was, of course, typical of H'llon that he should have enlisted the aid of resident weyr inventors T'lana and L'gani to build his own treadle lathe!

Master Bendarek did not intend to mention the trouble he had had in persuading Lathemaster Gerney to accept a girl into his lessons. At first the Lathemaster had exploded, asseverating that girls could not be trusted near such dangerous machinery, and were all bound to get their long hair caught. Bendarek had pointed out that the girl had experience; but Gerney had been unwilling to even listen! In the end, Bendarek turned the subject; then casually, almost as an afterthought, showed the irascible Lathemaster the legs of Elissa's prentice piece chair. Gerney was impressed.

"These are good – very good. Very close to identical, and intricate work. I'd like to take the lad who did this work as a Special."

Bendarek had smiled blandly.

"So you will accept her, then?"

Gerney changed colour several times; but could scarcely change his mind on his view of the workmanship! He examined the piece closer; Bendarek wondered if he were looking for flaws, though in fact the Master was just dumbstruck that the work was that of a girl! Muttering, he conceded. When he discovered that Elissa was H'llon's apprentice, his dark aspect cleared somewhat.

"Good lad Hallon – H'llon." he grunted. "Purposeful. Applies himself. If he took her, she's talented; and if he's prepared her and approves her she'll do all right. H'llon's not one of these silly young fools to be conned by a pretty face or figure."

Master Bendarek smiled to himself as he recalled the conversation. Gerney would probably approve of Elissa's appearance too. There was no way she could be described as 'pretty' at least in the conventional way. Tall for her age she was skinny with long limbs that seemed not to know quite where to put themselves. Bendarek privately thought she probably had as many scabs on her knees and elbows as the boys generally did (he was correct!). Her skin, hair and eyes were all brown, the last seeming huge in her thin face. Her chin was pointed but determined; and her mouth was overlarge for beauty; and the angles of her face were emphasised by the fact that her shoulder length hair was scraped back into a queue held with several twists of binder twine, practical and out of the way rather than stylish! That the hair shone with rich colours and that the eyes shone with intelligence and humour in their golden flecked depths, few would notice. Bendarek smiled at her.

"Well, Elissa, let me show you around." He said. "H'llon is related to a number of Crafters here, many of whom have Craftcots attached to the Hall. I understand you'll be eating with many of them tonight to help you settle in."

"Elissa murmered thanks: and followed Master Bendarek, cheered on by a cheerful wink and thumbs-up sign from H'llon!

It was to the Lathehall that Master Bendarek led Elissa first. Here she found herself surveyed by th dark haired, dark browed master; his face, naturally stern, made him look older than Elissa guessed him to be. Something about him reminded her of H'llon and she smiled tentatively.

Master Gerney greeted her neutrally.

"H'llon taught you, I hear. I didn't know he had a lathe."

Elissa gave him a confiding, boyish grin.

"Oh, yes, sir, he built himself one. He's working on a gear that attaches to the water wheel so he can knock it on or off with ease by throwing a lever." She volunteered.

Gerney smiled a thin smile.

"Yes, H'llon always had a good understanding of the technologies involved. He's the only boy I've ever let service the lathes when he was still an apprentice. You'll turn me a piece to show me your techniques. Then if you've picked up any bad habits we can break them." He did not say that he felt it unlikely that H'llon would permit an apprentice to pick up bad habits; but she should not be over encouraged. It could make her cocky.

Elissa understood the comment to be an order not a question. Amid the curious eyes of the half dozen or so boys in the Lathehall, Elissa approached one of the free lathes and ran a brief check, as H'llon had taught her to do as a matter of course, noting the tension in the belt, and the set up of the head and tail stocks. She selected a short length of hardwood from the sample rack, and looked for measuring tools to centre it.

One of the boys passed her a rule, and smiled solemnly at her.

But for his darker hair, he could have been a younger H'llon; and he also had a distinct look of the Master Turner. Elissa smiled easily at him. Knowing that the young Bronze rider had many relatives here helped her to feel at home; though it was of his little sister Kisra he spoke most. Elissa knew that he had an uncle the same age as himself, that he had a brother who was, reading between the lines, less talented than H'llon and who himself had sons, H'llon's nephews, too young to enter apprenticeships. There were also numerous cousins; and this lad, about her own age, was presumably one of them.

"Don't forget to check the tools." He murmured under his breath. She smiled gratefully. H'llon made a rule that all tools were sharpened after use to keep them so; but he warned her the Lathemaster was particular about such things being checked – and she had almost forgotten!

When the test piece was centred to Elissa's satisfaction she checked the tools she had picked, a roughing gouge and a skew; the skew was only adequate. Elissa took it without asking leave to the sharpening wheel and set about the pedal as she was wont to do in H'llon's workshop.

The boys gasped; it was her first intimation that she had broken etiquette. She turned round, looking puzzled.

"Did H'llon show you how to use that?" asked the Master, sharply.

"Yes, sir, of course." She said. "He always makes us be responsible for our own tools. Then any poor work from badly cared for tools is our own fault. What craftsman would not?"

The Master grunted: and waved her to continue. Unlike some he took her query at face value, not as cheek. Irritable he might be; pompously careful of his position he was not, and he expected all his puplils to be people in their own right and to learn by asking questions. This one required no real answer being mostly rhetorical. He watched her build up good speed and put a careful edge to the skew. As she got up he asked,

"Do you have your own tools with you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Use them."

Elissa obediently opened her leather tool pouch and selected her own tools; and set to work treadling the lathe.

It did not take long to round the square section; then with the skew she worked a gentle curve, running it delicately up the spinning wood to create a bulb at one end; then placed rings for grip at the other. She sanded a smooth finish and held the block of carnauba wax against it, polishing with a soft cloth for a good finish. With the tail stock retracted and the chuck holding the piece, she first smoothed the end, then reversed the chisel handle she had made, applying a drill bit to hollow it to set a tool in.

It had taken about ten minutes.

The Lathemaster nodded.

"I see you prefer to make a plain and useful item not try to show off your virtuosity on a useless fancy piece."

"Sir, I have been taught that wood is too precious to waste. And you have seen my fancy work on my prentice piece."

Another grim smile; and a nod.

"You'll do very well. if your jointing and your tool care are of a standard to please Masters Jaben and Batol – and the latter certainly seems to be competent – then you will report to this hall during the periods in which your peer group attend their classes. I will accept you as a Special."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir!" said Elissa.

Her heart was hammering and her legs felt weak; she had made the grade and more than made the grade in her favourite woodcrafting activity! H'llon had told her that Master Gerney was a hard taskmaster, but a good man; he had compared him to R'gar. H'llon had admired the crusty master who appreciated hard work and dedication. There was only one thing left to do before she left the lathehall; and she went to restore the sharp on her tools.

When she had finished the Master admonished her.

"In future, you will ask permission before using the stone. You have demonstrated that you know how; so I will permit you to place a sharp for yourself. I will inform those Journeymen who work in here. But ask first."

"Yes sir. I'm sorry sir" her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

He added kindly, unbending to explain,

"H'llon has only a few pupils. You have to consider the safety aspect with larger numbers. This" he waved a hand "Is a small class of more able boys. There may be a dozen in here."

Elissa nodded in appreciation of the dangers that had not occurred to her. There were enough lathes in here for this class with two over; but in a large class there could be boys milling about waiting to use equipment; and some boys would horseplay! With them to watch, it would be harder to keep an eye out for general safety.

The dark boy smiled at her again as she left with Master Bendarek; and gave her a covert 'thumbs up'. He seemed nice! And unlike some of the other boys, he was not letting his eyes wander over the beginnings of female curves under a tunic that was perforce tight enough for safety!

Bendarek next took the girl to the Master Jointcrafter Jaben. The Master Woodcrafter explained,

"The masters who will teach you need to know the level of attainment you have reached, to know in which group to place you. If you have lived up to H'llon's expectations, I, like Gerney, expect that you will have gone past the need for basic classes. That will give you more time to specialise – in turning as Master Gerney has offered, or in another field if you prefer."

"I love turning!" said Elissa sincerely. "I am honoured and delighted to be picked as Master Gerney's special."

Secretly, Bendarek was delighted that Gerney had managed to see Elissa as a talented crafter, setting aside her gender! He led her now into a large workshop where a couple of dozen small boys were at work. One of them looked up; and Elissa knew at once that this lad was a girl, and her name was Kisra! The serious little face with its incongruous snub nose was unmistakeable from the carving that H'llon had lovingly made of his little sister. The child stared briefly; and returned single-mindedly to work on a dovetail joint. Elissa's mouth twitched. So like her brother! Yet the journeyman helping in here who also had a look of H'llon seemed to be doing a duty and no more; he was almost bored. By descriptions given by the Bronze Rider, this was his brother, as much older than H'llon than the young man was than Kisra. That he lacked H'llon's passionate enthusiasm would explain why he might not be as good; and Elissa felt a twinge of sympathy for the man, outshone by his younger brother, and maybe his baby sister too. H'llon had never been close to Kislan; and besides detested his sister-in-law Prelaia, whom he thought a snob.

Elissa had to stop her musings on H'llon's kin as the Masterwoodcrafter introduced her to Master Jointcrafter Jaben.

He looked her over, and sniffed.

"Well, girl, you don't look much but appearances can be deceptive. Young Hallon graduated out of my class by the time he was thirteen turns. Let us see how well he taught you."

Elissa smiled nervously; and the master opened with a series of rapid fire questions on types of joints and bonds to use for different situations. Elissa was glad that H'llon had given her such a good grounding! She answered every question as rapidly as it had been delivered, and she knew she was correct in all her answers. Jaben finished the question and answer session and waved the girl to a bench.

"Let me see you make a dovetail joint." He said.

Elissa was happier in a practical situation; and she knew she could produce a good neat dovetail. She had had plenty of practical experience; the most popular piece of furniture in the Weyr was a good solid wooden chest to keep possessions in, and firelizards out. Elissa had helped many times to make chests for new riders and refurbish old ones. Deftly she measured and accurately cut the joint.

Master Jaben grunted and nodded.

"Repairs" he said, leading her across to a sad looking press with four drawers in the lower part. ."What would you do with this?"

Elissa examined it.

"It's poor workmanship" she declared. "I'd use it for firewood and build another."

The master Jointer gave a crack of laughter.

"You're the first apprentice to have the temerity to be so blunt!" he chuckled. "Well, girl, you're right" he admitted. "But assuming you HAD to repair it, what steps would you take?"

Elissa frowned, thinking hard.

"I'd remove the back and replace it first, with better and thicker planking. This is poor quality and it has got wet and warped. It's pulling the rest out of shape. I should use clamps to hold the whole thing in shape after gluing and nailing the new back on. Three of the drawers are serviceable, though they are badly made, poorly lined up blocks held with pegs. The fourth needs a side replaced, and the base. Without rebuilding the whole drawer, it would be impractical to do anything but another pegged block joint. It is tempting to suggest rebuilding all four drawers properly with dovetail joints, but I suspect that anyone owning something this poorly crafted could not even afford prentice rates for that task."

Jaben chuckled nastily.

"I paid for this excellent bad example by building a replacement – and took a good fee too when the owner saw the difference. He'd been fooled by the pretty decoration on the front."

Elissa looked doubtfully at the front of the drawers. There was a marquetry design on each.

"But the maker hasn't even made a good job of that!" she said, perplexed. "There's sawdust and glue filler here – and here and here – where he's not cut accurately. He's not even attempted to line up a sliver of the same veneer. And it's mounted" she said, peering at the base of the drawer "on another piece of veneer, not straight to the wood and it's peeling off."

Jaben exchanged a look with Bendarek.

"Well, girl, I can see that you don't need me at all." He said gruffly. "But you know where I am if you have a problem that dragonriding deserter of ours has failed to cover – or if any client gives you crackdust about doing a rushed skimped job."

Elissa thanked the master; and was hustled on.

Master Batol, the Toolmaster, also adjudged Elissa adequate when she demonstrated that she knew how to keep her tools sharp; and when and where to apply oil. Elissa took a dislike to the Toolmaster and was glad she need not be under his eye. His comments never seemed far from sarcasm and the boys in his class seemed subdued to the point of being cowed. And there was something in the way he looked at her that made Elissa feel very uncomfortable; and she was glad that Master Bendarek was there. She almost had the feeling that Batol would like to declare her inadequate to find a way to humiliate her; though surely, she told herself, such thoughts must be fanciful! Why would a senior Mastercrafter want to humiliate a mere apprentice who had done nothing to annoy him?

Her next visit promised to be more interesting. It was to see Master Idoghen, the Cabinetmaker. He was a thin, acidulated man, the oldest master she had yet see, perhaps fifty turns old. Examples of his work stood in his workshop and Elissa gasped in delight! Delicate mouldings formed austere but exquisite decoration to his pieces, and inlay work, simple but effective, accentuated the graceful lines of his furniture.

Idoghen gave the girl an appraising look: and she dutifully dragged her attention from the work to the man.

"Well, child, your face says more than words." His voice, too was thin, clipped and precise."I have seen the chair you made. Quite a pretty piece. You need to work on your fretwork."

She nodded.

"Yes sir."

"I doubt you did much cabinet making with young H'llon."

"No sir – at least, not beautiful pieces like these. There's not much call for anything but plain and functional in the Weyr. This is functional and beautiful!"

Had she but known it she had said the one thing to delight Idoghen – and he knew it would not occur to H'llon to prime her! The Master always tried to imbue in his apprentices the principle that functionality brought its own beauty; but that this could be emphasised by careful use of decoration. He gave a thin smile.

"Our H'llon was never interested in anything but good plain furniture. He never made an ugly piece in his life, mind, and he's very good at good plain furniture." He qualified. "Are you?"

She grinned.

"I confess to liking some decoration. But there's no good putting fancy twiddles on if you can't build good plain furniture, is there? And I hope I'm competent. I'm sure I will be when you've finished with me." She added.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You are a pert child – but your words have the merit of truth. A piece does not necessarily need decoration to make it beautiful. You will learn that. Any decoration should grow from the form. It should enhance shape and draw attention to it. Like that spread dragon of yours. It was quite passable. Quite passable." He referred to her prentice piece chair on which she had carved a dragon with spread wings as the shoulder support, its tail running down the centre of the back rest and fret cut slots either side. Elissa looked pleased; but he added "And one day you will see how it could have been really good." Elissa's pleasure faded and her face fell. The master patted her on the shoulder. "You will learn, child." He said. "For you have promise."

"Th-thank you." She managed. Elissa was immensely impressed by the beautiful graceful furniture she had seen in here, elegant enough to grace the halls of any Lord Holder; and she had acquired the ambition to emulate such work herself! Whist turning was her true vocation, there was much in what Master Idoghen said that appealed to her, and she saw no reason not to use pilasters she had turned and split to add to the lines of furniture in the same way as mouldings – and as fronts for openwork cupboard doors too. A storage cupboard of a type evolved by H'llon lay in the back of her mind; and she determined to make something similar, but utilising the concept of decoration to enhance it!.

8


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The morning had gone by this time! Master Bendarek showed Elissa to the eating hall; and told her that her tour would continue after she had eaten. She thanked him and looked around for a place.

The eating hall was filled with carvings, many of them caricatures showing the dreadful things that could happen to lazy and careless apprentices! Somebody had enjoyed themselves making this both a pleasant place to eat and giving a humorous object lesson. As well as the figures, flowers and vines climbed up pillars and draped themselves in rich profusion around beams, all subtly coloured with wood stains to make them stand out. Some of the carvings were so realistic, Elissa almost felt that she could reach out and pick the flowers! But she had little time to indulge herself in gawping; there would be plenty of time for that another day. Besides, her belly growled painfully, and she regretfully tore her eyes from the carvings in favour of finding somewhere to sit down.

The dark haired boy who had spoken to her in the Lathecraft hall caught her eye and waved; and she went to sit by him, relieved. He smiled, a similar reserved smile H'llon used for strangers.

"Are you my cousin H'llon's apprentice?" he asked, and gave a smile when she nodded. "I'm Alaran."

She grinned.

"Nice to meet you, Alaran. I'm Elissa."

They shook hands; and he beckoned to a girl who was bringing klah round.

"My sister Lusya" he introduced. "Lu, this is Elissa, H'llon's apprentice."

The girl smiled; and Elissa took to her at once. Lusya had darker hair even than her brother, with a natural curl to its ends, and a similar nose to Kisra; save that where the child's nose was definitely snub, Lusya's was a delicate retrousse. Her eyes sparkled with laughter, and Elissa couldn't help smiling back.

"Are you an apprentice too?" she asked. Lusya laughed.

"Shards, no! it's not my thing. I do some painting – designs for marquetry and carving – but I'm afraid wood does nothing for me. I tried whittling when I was little, but father reckoned I was a danger to all around me, never mind myself" she chuckled "So I stick to domestic crafts and healing and the occasional hike out to check those stands where they can't trust some scrubby brat of an apprentice like my brother to go and can't waste the time of a journeyman" she put a hand to her mouth in sudden consternation. "Whoops! I just implied you're a scrubby brat too!"

Elissa laughed.

"I suppose I am." She said candidly.

Lusya grinned.

"Look – I'll catch up with you later – and you can tell me all the heroics H'llon's been up to that he's too modest to talk about!" she said, and whirled away with the klah.

"Lusya carries a bit of a torch for H'llon" Alaran commented through a mouthful of good herdbeast stew. "And she's fascinated by dragons. She's been on at our parents to let her try for Impression."

"Are they going to let her?" asked Elissa.

Alaran shrugged.

"Probably. They're both pretty obsessed by dragons too I guess. I think it's because of F'lar giving the Woodcraft Hall the go-ahead and encouraging Lord Asgenar. Besides, his cousins are here."

"Who – F'lar's?"

"No – Asgenar's. Kyal and Sadvia. They're twins, a couple of turns older than me. Senior apprentices. Sadvia's a friend of m'sister. And they've both flown dragonback." He tried not to sound awed and failed.

"Hasn't H'llon ever given you a flight?"

He shook his head.

"You know H'llon. he turns up on business then goes away."

"Just because it hasn't occurred to him don't mean you can't ask."

"You reckon?" his face brightened. She nodded.

"H'llon's always really obliging. And you ARE family. If you don't ask, he won't know you want it" she pointed out prosaically.

The afternoon tour took Elisa first to an out building complex up the hillside. It was joined to the main complex by a partially submerged tunnelway, such as joined the craftcots of many journeyman affiliated to the Crafthall. However, the early spring sunshine was pleasant, and Master Bendarek led her across the paved courtyard and up a gravelled track that ran beside the snaking slate roofed tunnelway.

"It seems a shame to waste the weather when we have it fine" he said. "And this way you get the better view of the groves of trees. Doubtless you already know them all by profile and wood use; you will soon get to know them more intimately too from using the wood, so I shall not spoil the view with a lecture."

Elissa smiled thanks; and proceeded to enjoy the view. There was a deal of activity going on outside the building complex and Elissa strove to understand it. Men and boys carried timber and sawn wood; there was a saw pit outside being manned at the moment, with big leaden covers to drag across in case of Threadfall, but it could not saw timbers as large as some she saw dragged on sleds by small sturdy runnerbeasts and men. They must go to the sawmill. H'llon had told her of the great waterwheel, that his own small wheel copied: and here it was on the side of one of the buildings, dipping deep into gurgling sparkling brook that ran laughing to itself in complete unconcern over the heavy work its cheerful progress enabled.

Beside the mill were three of the biggest buildings Elissa had ever seen. Two of them were open to all sides but the west, the huge pitched slate roofs overhanging so far the edges needed to be held by pillars of coursed stone, rising above the roof like chimneys. Here great baulks of timber lay on racks to dry and season, all labelled by date and any special treatment. The ends of the timbers were all protected with skybroom resin, both to prevent cracking and to keep Thread out in the event of an unforeseen disaster. The third building was like the other two save that it had walls around the stored wood inside, and two huge metal faced doors. These stood open at the moment, affording Elissa a glimpse inside of the seasoned timbers stacked neatly and also labelled. Elissa calculated quickly that each building must be the size of the Hatching Cavern!

"How is the arch spanned?" she asked, awed.

Bendarek chuckled.

"A good practical question. Ah, here is Master Challer – he will show you. Chal, Elissa has asked how the arches are spanned in the store houses."

The big tow headed man beamed.

"Ah, that's a word I like to here from apprentices – 'how'" he said, clapping Elissa on the shoulder with a massive calloused hand. Elissa had never believed anyone could dwarf H'llon before. He continued, "Come inside, girl, and I'll show you."

He gave her time for her eyes to adjust after leading her into one of the huge structures; then he pointed up.

"Double hammer beams" he said proudly. "I came up with the idea myself. I saw single hammer beams in an old building at Fort Hold, built by the Ancients. No fardling builder could think of something like this. See, the whole need not be spanned by one beam providing it can pass its load onto the wall by one means or another. The lowest beams need only just stick out from the wall – to take the load from the vertical post pushing down onto them. Which in turn takes its load from a similar arrangement above, and then from the spanning skybroom beam that actually crosses the whole from one hammer beam arrangement to the other corresponding one. The beams that hold the roof up also have crossmembers that set into the pillars at the edge of the roof that act as buttresses to spread the load down."

Elissa nodded, impressed.

"Why do the stone pillars rise higher than the roof edge?" she asked. "Surely it would be easier to rest the weight of the roof on top, not set it in?"

"Ah! A good question. The extra weight on top of the pillars pushes the pillar down into the ground, resisting the temptation on the part of the roof to slide sideways and collapse." He explained.

"I've never seen anything like it." Elissa said truthfully, full of awe. "It must have taken much planning to erect these buildings safely!"

"Ha! That it did! And that's another word I like to hear – safe! Don't you forget it m'dear!" he boomed.

She nodded.

"Saw mills are dangerous – I know, sir. We've a child back in the Weyr who lost a foot in a saw."

Challer's face darkened.

"Ah yes – H'llon came to tell us she'd been brought to him. Fardling criminal, that journeyman to risk his daughter. H'llon was right to report him." he said. "Now – come and see for yourself."

Elissa trotted after the huge master towards the mill, passing a saw pit where a man and a boy toiled on a great cross cut saw. It was not unlike H'llon's at High Reaches; but larger. The boy in the pit did not look happy, and Elissa felt for him. The lower end of a cross cut was unpleasant, but required little skill or strength. As Radall could not do this task, she and Telfer were required to take turns. Poor Telfer, now he'd have to do it all! Challer noticed Elissa's gaze and remarked,

"It's my favourite punishment for the lax and lazy – remember it. I expect you've had experience. You'll have more. When nobody's in trouble, we work on a strict rota system."

"Yes sir" she said dutifully. She decided not to explain that she and Telfer diced for who was to get the task!

The mill itself was a noisy, dirty place, cogs and gears rattling and banging as the great wheel turned them, directing the energy of the fast flowing water into power to turn the big circular saw. Under the watchful eyes of journeymen, apprentices pushed the great baulks of timber onto its whirling, inexorable teeth. A journeyman stood ever by the big lever that with one movement could disengage the dog clutch that connected the saw to the turning gears and workings of the mill wheel.

"It takes time to slow – remember that!" Challer adjured her. She nodded again, solemnly. There was another lever up by the wheel itself; the whole could be disengaged for repair and maintenance. This was a fascinating place! The sawdust tickled her nose and made her want to sneeze, but the great machinery enthralled her, and she felt she could watch it for hours!.

"How is the wheel stopped for maintenance?" she asked politely.

"A good question!" The master said. "Come see." He took her outside, above the mill, and showed her the secondary channel that had been dug, and the gates that diverted the water from one channel to the other. "Sometimes in early spring, there is too much flood water coming off the mountains to be safe" he told her. "Then we can open both gates at once to give two channels, and the wheel is not at risk."

Elissa was captivated. She was still full of questions, but a journeyman approached the master and she stood to one side. Seeing Master Bendarek as well, the man addressed both in an urgent undertone.

Elissa was a Logicator. It would never have occurred to her not to eavesdrop when such a tone were used.

"Sirs, it's been done again. Thread put into the base of trees. Three of them. But for the grubs, we'd have been in trouble…Mallek's firelizard found it, and stayed there hissing like a kettle 'til we came with agenothree."

Challer grunted.

"Someone is going to a whole lot of danger and trouble to discredit us. Ben, we're going to have to call in help."

Bendarek nodded.

"I already spoke to someone…don't worry, Chal. We'll weather it."

"I still say we should tell the Weyr."

"F'lar will believe me. But some dragonmen will say it's no more than an excuse for carelessness and incomplete clearing. I'm not risking that. This is Crafter business and Craft will deal with it."

Elissa wanted to rush forward and say that such behaviour was the business of all; but she refrained. Even in such a place as jolly as the Woodcrafter Hall seemed, people were not as tolerant as at High Reaches.

She was still full of questions unspoken about the incident and about the mill when Bendarek remembered her presence and hustled her away.

"Next to the Finishmaster's Hall." He said with forced cheerfulness. "Master Tirris devises all our varnishes and polishes and dyes. His shop is right behind the drying sheds because sometimes the curing processes affect the finish."

The Finish Hall reeked of the chemicals Master Tirris used; but Elissa did not find it unpleasant. The Finishmaster was as small as the Timbermaster was large; he had small bright eyes in a nut brown face. He moved with little darting movements showing samples of finished wood.

"And what have you already used?" he asked Elissa.

"Only carnauba, sir, and waxes boiled with terebinth oil for polishing." She said. "And some laquer work. H'llon never had time to experiment much." She added.

He nodded.

"Yes, almost a waste for him to Impress. Such a patient boy, good at noting different effects." His head nodded some more and Elissa firmly bit her tongue. How could he understand? Even so, she had only an inkling about Impression through living in a Weyr! Still, she could see that most masters saw H'llon as lost to the craft, not understanding that he still loved his work and that Melth enthusiastically did what he could - though sometimes an enthusiastic Bronze Dragon could be more hindrance than help!

After an introduction to the finishing shop, Elissa was loaded with samples of dyed wood and veneer by the little Finishmaster to take to Master Patterncrafter Tuon in the Marquetry Hall, since it was her next stop; and she was happy to make herself useful and run the errand. Bendarek had left her with instructions as to how to find the last two masters; and with an excuse hurried off, Elissa supposed over the business of the Thread.

Tuon was overseeing a group of senior apprentices. One of them was a girl; she had lustrous chestnut hair with a curl at the ends and a pretty creamy complexion from which merry hazel eyes smiled at the new girl. Next to her sat a boy like her enough to be her brother, though his hair and skin were a shade darker. Both wore what Elissa recognised to be expensive cloth, though the clothing was plain enough in design. The senior apprentices were making intricately patterned boxes, ranging from complex geometric patterns involving knots and plaits to a pictorial representation of a golden dragon. Elissa managed a good glance in passing as she explained to the Master Patterncrafter that Master Tirris had asked her to bring the samples when she came to meet him.

She was not sure what her first gut feeling about this master was. His garb was more flamboyant and expensive than others she had seen; but then, she supposed, there would be plenty of marks to be made in the exquisite work that came from this workshop. Elissa personally thought much of it over decorated, but she could see that it would be popular.

Master Tuon smiled at her. It was a smile of automatic charm, practised and perfected and used without thinking, Elissa thought. Probably this master was a good marksman too; charming the customers into buying. Elissa never could understand how people were fooled! Still perhaps he was more genuine with his apprentices once he knew them.

Master Tuon said,

"Thank you for bringing the woods, just what Kyal needs for his design." He nodded to the lad Elissa had noticed as the probable brother of the girl. The young man was working on a design of complicated knotwork showing the Lord Holder's knot of Lemos Hold. The blue, white and gold design lacked half its blue, the soft rich colour needing to be matched exactly; and Master Tuon passed the wafer thin sheet Elissa had brought to the lad. He flashed a grin of thanks at the girl as he took it.

"Thanks kid! It's a birthday gift for my cousin, and I'm running out of time! Blue is so expensive, Master Tirris won't let us mix our own!"

"You're welcome. I did nothing though, but carry it." She demurred.

"You're the weyrbred kid H'llon trained, huh?" he asked quietly. She nodded, an eye on the master; but he seemed happy to let the young Blood talk to the girl – for such he must be to make such a pattern, the one Alaran had told her of. So the girl was his sister. Kyal and Sadvia. It seemed that the master was impressed by wealth and birth enough to permit liberties, she thought cynically. Kyal grinned.

"What do you think of Shordo's dragon?" he asked.

Elissa shuffled her feet.

"The workmanship seems excellent." She temporised.

"I told you it looked wrong, Shordo." Grinned Kyal. "Else she'd have been more complimentary." The other boy flung him an annoyed look.

The master interposed

"And what does the new apprentice find wrong with it?"

Elissa flushed.

"Sir, the wings are set badly. The anatomy is off line, even allowing for stylisation. But perhaps there are technical reasons…"

"And of course you know many dragons intimately?"

"Not intimately, sir, only Melth."

Kyal interposed,

"Sir, this is H'llon's pupil. I guess she sees dragons all the time. Even flies them sometimes, huh?" it was a question directed at Elissa. She nodded.

"Two or three times in a sevenday." She nodded. "Running errands."

The Master grunted.

"I see. Of course. Well I hope you will be able to produce some really good drawings of dragons for us."

She blinked.

"If that is my task, I shall certainly do my best sir." She said. Why didn't he like her?

Sadvia winked at the younger girl and whispered,

"Don't mind Tuon! He's peeved because he didn't notice that Shardo hadn't done his prep work properly and it probably won't sell to weyrfolk!"

. The Master had grunted and turned away. Evidently he did not want to test her the way other masters had. Elissa knew that her inlay work was good; and that her marquetry was adequate. H'llon had insisted on no more as he had little interest in decoration save whittling and chip carving. Elissa felt sure she could keep up. Besides, she was more interested in the kind of work Master Idoghen did: and that was mostly parquetry, inlay work.

"Sir, do you want to test me, or should I move on?" she asked. He waved an elegant hand.

"Either you have it girl or you don't. We shall soon find that in class" the wave seemed dismissive: so she left.

H'llon's favourite master was the last. In point of fact the Mastercarver, Isimy, was H'llon's uncle; and Elissa wondered if H'llon's father was bitter about his younger brother surpassing him in the same way she suspected H'llon's brother resenting being surpassed by a younger sibling. The whole family seemed to have talent, for his father also had two more siblings who were journeymen here! H'llon had described his uncle Arkis as big and solid but a bit frivolous; and his aunt Isrona as large and sleepy eyed, but who missed nothing! Their older brother, Master Isimy, was, in H'llon's opinion, One of the best. Half excited, half timid Elissa knocked; and on invitation, entered.

"Well well well, young H'llon's little girl! Good to meet you m'dear!" Master Isimy's voice was big and booming; and it suited his body. Built on similat lines to H'llon. he evidently also liked his food. Where H'llon was lean, Isimy was frankly plump, his blonde hair starting to thin above his round and cheerful face, his eyebrows so blonde as to seem to disappear entirely! He grinned at her happily. "Liked the dragon on your chair back! You're not the best, m'dear, but you'll do – you'll do!"

"I – I don't FEEL things in wood the way H'llon does." She said apologetically. He slapped her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it Elissa – it is Elissa?" he checked. She nodded, beaming because one of them knew her name. Though even 'm'dear' was an improvement on 'girl'. Isimy went on, "It's a rare talent H'llon has, and the more surprising because in all other respects he's not at all what you might call frivolous. Not frivolous at all" he shared a look and a grin with a young journeyman whom Elissa surmised to be Arkis; and Elissa deduced that it had been a favourite word of H'llon's in connection with his younger kinsman! Arkis was not quite as large as H'llon, but it was not by very much. His eyes laughed as a matter of course in the same way H'llon's could, but mostly did not; and his face was dotted with freckles that went with his ginger hair. He grinned at Elissa.

"We shouldn't really tease the kid about H'llon, Isimy." He said. "He's one of the best – especially when he lightens up a bit!"

"He IS the best!" declared Elissa indignantly. "He's serious because too many people aren't. but there's nothing wrong with his sense of humour!".

Arkis querked an eyebrow.

"Not his girlfriend are you?"

Elissa looked surprised.

"Oh no! I don't go for that sort of thing just now. Besides, he's spoken for."

Arkis laughed.

"Has he noticed?"

Elissa grinned a wicked little grin.

"I think she's about to tell him in words of one syllable" she said.

Master and Journeyman both roared with laughter.

"Well, Elissa, as H'llon's apprentice, you're nearly family" said Master Isimy. "So in class, I'm going to be hard on you. Is it a deal?"

She grinned at him.

"I'd not have it any other way sir." She said. "It's a deal."

Arkis suggested,

"I'll take you to my sister, Journeyman Isrona. She looks after the female apprentices in their own dormitory. We have half a dozen besides you, including H'llon's sister Kisra."

"I've met one – Sadvia – and I saw Kisra. I recognised her from the carving H'llon did of her."

Arkis nodded.

"He and I always had a little competition running over who could carve best. I think he mostly won." He grinned ruefully "But I find time for marquetry as well, so I think it works out even. In some ways we're rather like brothers you know – so we have our friendly bickerings!"

Elissa pulled a wry face

"Sometimes it seems that everyone here is related to H'llon." She said. Arkis laughed as he led her down one of the submerged corridors.

"Not quite true – but a lot of people are inter-related. As a craft we are very new – as an organised thing. The abilities and secrets tended to stay in just a few families. Oh, everyone whittles, same as everyone can do a lot of their own basic leatherwork – but the more specialist skills are only now being taught outside of families. We nearly lost the art of turning, you know – it had got down to there being one elderly man who knew how. And he had no idea how to build a lathe. It was Gerney and Bendarek between them worked that one out. "

Elissa whistled.

"Thank goodness they did!" she said. "I like Master Gerney – and now I have even more respect for him."

Arkis raised an eyebrow.

"You met him and survived? I'm impressed. He's H'llon's second cousin on the other side to me and he takes our favourite Bronze Rider's indifference to women even further – into aversion!"

"He made no bones about me being one of his special apprentices." Commented the girl dubiously.

"Special, eh? Well you must be talented indeed! Normally he refuses point blank to even have females in the Lathehall! I'm honoured to have such a special honorary cousin – if I may adopt you as such!"

she grinned.

"Idiot." She laughed at him. "I'd love to be your honorary cousin though." She added sincerely. "H'llon always treats me like a spare little sister."

The end of the passage was closed off by a door. Arkis knocked.

The door was opened by an ample lady with short red blonde curls and heavy lidded eyes that shot Elissa a shrewd look. Elissa judged her to be a good ten years older than Arkis, and perhaps as much younger than her older brother, Master Isimy. Craftsfolk seemed to spread their families out more than the Holdbred. Perhaps quality time to spend teaching each child was more important than quantity; and besides, from Holdbred candidates, she had got the impression that the use of herbs to prevent pregnancy seemed to be considered almost immoral!

Journeyman Isrona nodded cordially at her brother.

"Come in, Elissa." She said kindly. "Don't let my brother talk you _**between**_! He's got enough gab for two."

"Just as well when H'llon's around." Grinned Arkis. "The kid's eating with the family tonight – extended, our side and Hallana's - and I'd not miss it. I'd love to know what H'llon's really been up to outside his usual reticent grunts."

Isrona chuckled. It was a very comfortable sound.

"And I shall have to miss it to take care of my brats here." She mourned. "You must come and report to me."

"Certainly, best of sisters. You'll have it all first and in private from our honorary cousin here anyway!"

"You're a flatterer and a rogue. Go away – you must have work to do!" Isrona pushed Arkis firmly out of the door and shut it.

"Well, my dear, it's honorary cousin is it? I must say, H'llon writes well of you, Telfer and Radall." Isrona accepted it comfortably. "H'llon's not stressful like Arkis." She chuckled. "I like restful. And he says you're no trouble. Though I confess I'd like to hear tales of his deeds too!"

"I try not to be trouble, ma'am. And I'll certainly tell you about H'llon."

"Oh, my dear, call me Isrona. I'm not formal. Indeed, most of us grew up together and we're not always careful of rank even to the Masters – I could tell a thing or two about some of them – because we're all so close as yet. Now, come and put your things away before the others arrive."

Isrona showed the girl to a sleeping room with eight beds, six of them showed signs of occupation in terms of personal items on or by them on the small serviceable presses; the personal belongings ranged from a fancy metal jewel box to a jointed doll showing signs of H'llon's carving tecnique on what was plainly Kisra's bed.

"I've put you next to Kisra – I hope you don't mind. They're building an extension so that we can have a room for little girls and another for older ones, but Kisra is so much younger than the others it would scarcely be fair to segregate her off."

Elissa smiled.

"I'm looking forward to meeting her." She said truthfully.

Isrona laughed.

"She's a funny kiddie – has surprising ideas. And as for anything she sees as unfair, well she wades in leading with the chin!"

"Like H'llon." nodded Elissa. Her mentor's capacity for giving T'bor headaches through an overdeveloped sense of justice was well known. Elsiis was pleased to see that her pack of things had been brought in and unpacked into the press. "Thank you for sorting my things, Isrona." She said.

"You're welcome, Elissa. I expect you'll want to to change things around, but I thought you might be tired after an exhaustive tour. If you'd like to lay down, I can bring you some klah."

"Klah I'd welcome, thank you. But do you mind if I don't lay down? I need to visit the necessary, but then perhaps I can help you with something?"

Isrona smiled.

"Why not? Thank you. I'm carving some decorative bobbins for Fort Hold lacemakers. Perhaps you can help me fulfil the order."

When Elissa had used the necessary, Isrona took klah into her own workshop.

"Why do you not use a lathe for basic shaping?" the girl asked curiously. Isrona laughed.

"What, Gerney let a woman into his workshop? Hey – are you lathe trained?" She asked. Elissa nodded. "Well, if he lets you use one of his precious lathes, and if you can turn me blanks to this state" she held up one she had finished rough working "I would pay a sixteenth for every blank. And if Gerney lets you turn finished ones and he passes them, I'll see to selling them for you for a good deal more. The Weavercrafters always want bobbins, and so do Fort Hold. And though I tried out on lathe before Gerney ever made Journeyman, I did not pass high enough to be one of the three chosen to learn."

"I'd love to help." Said Elissa happily, picking up a prepared blank and starting work on a simple spiral pattern already marked. "Of course, these ones must be hand finished because they can't be done on a lathe – though H'llon is working on a design that will enable him to build a special lathe dedicated to spirals."

Isrona chuckled.

"H'llon would." She said. "in that respect he's a lot less restful. Now! Spill all about his heroics!"

Elissa worked happily for an hour with Isrona, telling her about H'llon's exploits that the modest young man would never dream of talking about! There was plenty to tell, and she only stopped when the sound of voices at the outer door heralded the arrival of the other girls. She went pale with nervousness and Isrona gave her a reassuring hug.

"It'll be fine!" she asseverated!

18


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The six girls had heard on the grapevine about the new female apprentice; and as Kisra and Sadvia – properly, Lady Sadvia – had already seen her, they were being bombarded with questions by the others. H'llon like, Kisra merely shrugged and guessed her to be three or four turns older than herself and quite competent at jointcrafting, an unsatisfactory answer from the point of view of the other girls; and Sadvia had been equally unforthcoming apart from declaring that she thought Elissa seemed nice. Sadvia privately thought Elissa seemed a little serious, but her self possession pleased the Ranking girl, herself sophisticated and self possessed. And the younger girl had a nice smile. She at least was more than ready to meet the newcomer half way, and as they entered, she held out a hand, smiling.

"Welcome to the Woodcrafter Hall." She said. "Some of us older ones who knew him remember H'llon kindly. He was ever nice to us apprentices and willing to show us how to do things – so I guess you're well prepared. But if you ever feel out of your depth, that's what us older ones are for." She sported the tassel of a senior apprentice on her knots, and Elissa guessed her to be a couple of turns older than herself. The younger girl smiled.

"Thank you!" she said. Instinctively she liked this pretty girl with laughing eyes. her hair was not far off Elissa's own shade, but Elissa thought it a richer colour, and found a brief pang of envy at its rich red mahogany highlights, and felt sallow beside the creamy skin of Sadvia.

The tallest girl who also seemed the oldest, looked down her nose at Elissa.. her golden hair was elegantly coifed, and her clothes carefully showed her ample assets as well as she dared. Elissa thought she looked silly. The girl spoke in a derisive drawl.

"Speak for yourself, Sadvia." She said. "if you want to waste your time with brats, do. But don't expect me to do so. One mucky brat is much like another" she nodded condescendingly to Elissa and stalked off. Elissa noted in passing that, although older, she sported no tassel to her knots.

"Thank you Jivana and good night" grinned Sadvia. "Right, Leichalle? You're with me for the new girl, aren't you?"

The tiny, delicate blonde girl no taller than Kisra threw Elissa a grin; and Elissa noted that the slim figure was more womanly than childlike in shape. Leichalle had wicked eyes that danced as she said

"Certainly – providing that she's safety conscious!" she dimpled and Sadvia laughed.

"Leichalle is Master Challer's daughter." Sadvia explained. Elissa's mouth dropped open and she stared.

Leichalle smiled.

"I know. Him the size of a sky broom – and me. I'm built like my mother. And she bosses him around for sure!" she smiled. "What's your speciality?"

"Turning" said Elissa. "Yes, he accepted me, no. I don't know if he cares that I'm a girl and I don't care what he thinks so long as I get to work with a lathe. Though I did enjoy your father's mill" she added honestly.

"Oh my, a keen" yawned a honey blonde girl about Elissa's own age. "my good kid, just do what you have to not to get chucked out and avoid marriage. Half of these Masters don't take girls seriously over their silly specialisations anyway."

Kisra opened her mouth and Sadvia neatly clapped a hand over it. She and Leichalle exchanged looks.

Elissa looked confused.

"Stay out of marriage? I don't understand. We're too young for that anyway. And how does being in a craft stop you being with a lover if you want one anyway?"

The other girl, Ishelle, laughed nastily.

"You mean your parents haven't lined you up a husband yet? You must be at least thirteen turns. Believe me, if you let them marry you off, it's babies every year for the rest of your life if you can't find an escape like this my naïve child."

Elissa blinked.

"For the record, I'm almost fifteen turns. And what you describe need not be. If the herbs fail – well, I guess most dragonmen are willing to give you a quick trip _**between**_ if need be."

"Sure – we're all on chatting terms with dragonmen" sneered Ishelle.

"Ishelle, Elissa's weyrbred" put in Sadvia. "I expect she already made friends with our resident green rider. She's H'llon's apprentice."

"I haven't spoken to the Green Rider" Elissa admitted honestly. "He's just a smokeless weyrlings, I didn't think we'd have much in common."

Ishelle raised an eyebrow.

"This H'llon get tired of you and throw you out of his bed, did he –and the boy here too young?" she asked insolently.

Sadvia leaped on Elissa and Leichalle on Kisra as both started to launch themselves at Ishelle. The sixth little girl cowered back.

"Stoe it you two!" commanded Sadvia. "Isrona won't let you get away with striking her, whatever the provocation – it's against the rules. No fighting! C'mon, kids, she's not worth it!"

"She's rude about my brother!" clamoured Kisra

"And my foster brother!" agreed Elissa.

"Hey, does that make you my sister?" Kisra, intrigued, was sidetraked.

"Yes it does." Said Sadvia firmly "so be sisterly and ignore that little idiot. She has her own agenda, let her get on with it. You'll both make journeyman way before she does!"

"I always wanted a sister" said Kisra. "But I s'pose you think I'm too young."

"I've got a sister who's much younger than you" Elissa told her "And she's a bit boring. But I've been looking forward to meeting you for ages!"

Kisra grinned at her; and with one accord they turned to regard Ishelle thoughtfully and malevolently.

It was probably as well that at that moment Arkis turned up to take Elissa and Kisra to dine in H'llon's father's Craftcot; and they easily dismissed Ishelle from their minds. It did, however, confirm them as allies, despite several turns difference in age!

The semi submerged tunnel to the craftcot was several lengths long; and up the steps at the other end it opened into a big, pleasant hall that belied the usual understanding of the term cot. Judging from the large buildings that she had seen around, Elissa thought that 'Outhall' might be a better term than 'craftcot' for the relative grandeur. The main room in which she found herself was two floors high, spanned by the telltale hammer beams, only single in this case, but necessary.. doors opened off all the walls, the two opposite presumably into an adjacent structure or structures, the ones to the side to rooms in the ends of the building. Stairs led to a gallery halfway up, off which opened more doors into the ends of the building, giving plenty of privacy as well as work space for an extended family. H'llon had mentioned that his brother and his family lived and worked in part of his father's cot, and she could now see how two families could live together without too much friction. As H'llon's father's parents also had rooms there, it needed to be big! Sounds from one of the opposite doors suggested a kitchen; clattering and women's; voices probably meant a communal structure. She guessed the other door led to workshops as a simple lock prevented access by children.

H'llon was already there; and the big Bronze Rider gave his young apprentice a reassuring smile.

"Settling in?" he asked her.

Elissa nodded he gave her an awkward hug, aware that he was going to miss having her around.

"Difficult at first, huh?" he asked sympathetically. "I felt the same way when I first came to the Weyr, though people did their best to make me feel welcome – and I was older."

Her eyes filled suddenly with tears and she sniffed hard.

Kisra threw her arms around her.

"I'm here!" the child declared. "I'll look after you!" then she let go of Elissa to swarm up H'llon.

"Oof!" laughed H'llon. "You're too big for this!" he dumped her unceremoniously down. Elissa got herself under control.

H'llon explained that his mother's people were coming for the meal as well; and Elissa soon worked out that the big people were generally his father's kin, and the diffident quiet ones generally his mother's. The men seemed quieter by far than the women, but Elissa noted with some private amusement that many of them of both sexes absently straightened things and rearranged cutlery into straighter lines. It was also noticeable that many had very wooden faces – appropriate enough, perhaps, in a woodcraft hall! – but quite strange en masse. It was only by analysing relationships that prevented Elissa feeling totally overwhelmed by the sheer numbers that were there – more than a score sat down to eat, including four masters – Gerney and Isimy she had already met. Also Masters were H'llon's paternal grandfather and maternal great grandfather who was as deaf as a post and passed loud uncomplimentary remarks about all and sundry, but mostly H'llon's sister in law.

Elissa soon saw what H'llon and now his great grandfather had meant by comments that Prelaia was a snob. She could not leave alone the fact of H'llon's Impression of a Bronze Dragon; and it made the Bronze Rider intensely uncomfortable.

Lusya caught Elissa's eye and twinkled. Her merry face was a life saver! She looked around at the faces she knew, reducing the mass of people into manageable parts by the identification of individuals. Gerney gave her a stiff nod as her eye caught his, and his voice cut into the conversation across his grandfather's current rant.

"You trained her well on lathe, H'llon."

"Thank you sir. She has a talent. More than me."

Gerney grunted.

"You're good enough. But I think you're right. I'm taking the girl as a second special along with that young limb Alaran. That, girl, is if you've no other ideas of specialisation with another master?" his voice was half sarcastic; and Elissa suddenly realised he was half expecting her to prefer another class to his. Her reply was clear.

"Sir, I like turning best, and I'm delighted you think me good enough. I liked the machinery at the mill and I think I shall enjoy cabinet making – I can learn so much from master Idoghen – and I'm afraid I'll never be more than adequate at carving" she cast an apologetic glance at Isimy "but I've always loved turning best."

Gerney grunted again.

"At least you give full answers. You didn't learn THAT from H'llon."

There was general laughter; and H'llon said

"Well, shards, I answer what's asked. If people want more, they should ask more."

You're just as bad, Gerney, you can't complain" his grandfather, deaf Master Halgar had evidently followed the conversation by lip reading. "Monosyllabic. Bad habit amongst the menfolk in our family."

H'llon's mother Hallana smiles serenely.

"Just as well the women of the family are understanding."

"You're mumbling granddaughter. Can't hear a thing. And the women of the family talk too much and not loud enough." Halgar grumbled; and sat back with a look of triumph.

"Talking of not saying much, what about telling us all about H'llon's Impression – and everything else he's been up to?" put in Arkis. H'llon blushed.

"There's nothing to tell!" he protested.

Elissa grinned.

"Sorry, H'llon – but you're outvoted" she said. Her story was concise and factual; but it gave more satisfaction to her listeners – including Halgar, sat forward in his seat – than H'llon's deprecatory mumbles. She added the amusing tale of Melth's disastrous sneeze when he scattered sawdust everywhere, of H'llon's cheerfully stoic acceptance of the dangers of Thread, except early in the morning when his temper left much to be desired. She told stories other riders had told of his prowess, and how L'gani, Weyrsecond, had asked H'llon to be his Wingsecond despite his relatively junior status because his ability to sense Thread gave the Wing a greater edge. H'llon looked like a naughty apprentice caught in the act of mischief rather than a man whose exploits were being extolled! Elissa patted his arm.

"H'llon, they are your kin. They have a right to know."

"It seems so immodest!" he complained.

"It is the unvarnished truth."

"I don't like to hear it."

"Now, dear, don't be mulish" said his mother. "We're all very proud of you, and Melth, and we're very pleased he likes to help you with woodcrafting too. It seems proper somehow."

H'llon's face grew soppy at the thought of his beloved dragon; and catching Hallana's eye. Elissa gasped as the older woman gave her a slow wink. Once H'llon could be got onto the subject of Melth, reticence was forgotten!

Alaran leaned over to Elissa as general conversation restarted.

"I'm glad you're going to be Gerney's special too!" he whispered. "And I'm glad you didn't let anyone put you off him. He's not really such a curmudgeon as they say, not if you're prepared to work hard. And he's not half as old as he pretends to be either!"

Alaran failed to notice that a conversation lull had carried most of his words to the master in question; Gerney sat with one dark eyebrow raised quizzically. Alaran choked and had to be patted on the back as the master murmured

"And thank you for the unsolicited testimonial, Alaran."

Elissa's first class in the morning would have been with Jointmaster Jaben had he not pronounced himself satisfied; so as it was she would have the whole morning on the lathe. She ate breakfast with the other girls because it seemed polite; though Sadvia and Leichalle went to sit with Kyal and their peer group. Ishelle and Jivana ignored her – which suited her – and the girl Seeta did little but smile shyly. Kisra more than made up for any deficiency in the conversation, however, and Elissa enjoyed hearing the little girl's assessment of various people around the Woodcraftet Hall. Her opinion of Master Gerney was not high – she wanted to have the chance to learn turning!

"Perhaps when I've proved myself to him he'll give you a chance to try out" suggested Elissa. Kisra's face lit up.

"Really? That'd be great!" the little girl was delighted. "Hmm. It'll take at least six months. I'd better try and make sure he can only get good reports from my other masters" she made a face. "That'll be hard from Master Batol. He loves to find fault."

"H'llon's hot on tool care. I can help a bit – then you can graduate out of his class quicker."

Breakfast finished, Kisra threw her arms around the older girl.

"I _love_ you, foster sister!" she declared.

Jivana, looked up.

"Oh really Kisra – can't you behave with any decorum at all?"

"Nope!" said Kisra, winking at Elissa and whirling off.

Elissa joined Alaran after breakfast.

"Are you on extra lathe this morning?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Why didn't you eat with my lot?" he asked, hurt.

Elissa was contrite.

"I thought I was supposed to sit with the girls – and when Sadvia and Leichalle went off it was a little too late to change my mind. But Kisra was a little concerned about something, so I am glad I stayed really. I hope you'll forgive me?" she smiled.

He nodded.

"That's fine! And if Kisra had a problem, I'm glad if you could help. I just wondered if you liked those silly creatures more."

Elissa shuddered eloquently!

The two youngsters hurried into the latheshop with a stream of boys a couple of turns younger than themselves.

"I guess we'll have to share a lathe." Said Alaran. "Unless Master Gerney's doing theory with them."

"Fine by me." Said Elissa. "Say, Alaran, what do you know about people deliberately putting Thread into the roots of trees?"

"WHAT!" he started. She clapped a hand to his mouth.

"Ssssh! I overheard a journeyman talking to Masters Challer and Bendarek" she said quietly. "Master Bendarek didn't want to call in the Weyr to help. But I reckon H'llon would have been alright to tell even if they're stuffy at Benden."

"You can't talk about dragonmen like that!" Alaran was scandalised; then made a rueful face. "Actually, I suppose YOU can. Did you tell H'llon?"

She shook her head.

"I didn't get the chance to get him alone."

"Good."

"What?"

"You know H'llon! he'd have gone raging off about it and alerted whoever's doing it. We need this sorted quiet and subtle."

"H'llon's not stupid. He's a good Logicator." Said Elissa sullenly.

"A good what?"

Elissa quickly explained logicating; and Alaran's eyes glowed.

"We need to set up a Logicator team here!" he declared. "I'll get some good people together at the noon break. We can practise on little things and see if we can solve this Thread menace for Master Bendarek!"

A voice cut across.

"If the two more senior apprentices would be kind enough to stop gossiping like old women, I am ready to start. I trust they are."

Elissa burned at criticism from Master Gerney.

"I'm sorry, sir." She said contritely.

Alaran gave the master a sheepish grin; and was glared at for his pains.

"You two have a task." The master told them. "The Weavercraft Hall has requested spools for thread and wool. That should not overtax you too much." He passed them patterns and waved each to a lathe while he gathered the younger boys round him to explain the finer points of beading work while he himself demonstrated.

Spools were easy enough to make, and soon both youngsters had filled baskets with the softwood reels. Elissa disliked working with softwood, it took more working even at a high speed to stop it splintering; but it was a more expendable wood. Though the weavercraft hall would re use some spools, others would be used to store spun threads and wools for sale or to be taken by journeymen. However, she made sure she did a thorough job and knew she had done well when master Gerney dismissed the other boys in pairs to the remaining lathes in order to come over and check on their work.

"Good." He said examining the spools. "You do not skimp on quality even for simple things. These are well finished, Elissa."

Elissa looked pleased.

The master asked,

"Do you have a project you wish to work on?"

Elissa answered at once.

"Sir, Journeyman Isrona asked if I could make blanks for her to add carving for lace bobbins. She also said if I asked you might permit me to turn finished ones."

He nodded.

"Yes. I do not see why not. I have made bobbins before – have you ever worked on anything that slim?" as she shook her head he went on "You need to shift your gear to a higher speed. For fine work, the lathe needs to be as fast as you can get it to go, faster even than for softwoods. You may find that of use making small handles too. It is not something H'llon will have told you: it is a discovery I made only last turn. Very well. pick some hardwood blanks and be careful not to make the shank too narrow. Assuming there are those I pass for sale you can write what you owe on the slate over there" he waved a hand at a large slate with a variety of scrawled IOUs on it "until you get some pay. Patterns are in the pattern drawer."

Elissa thanked him and went in search of patterns while he discussed Alaran's project of chair legs with the boy. There were several available patterns; one for standard blanks, several for finished bobbins – Elissa felt she could adequately make up her own decoration once she had flicked through them – and the same for a fat, pointed end bobbin labelled 'bucks'. Isrona had not been making any of these, so Elissa stored it's existence in her mind and left it. She was soon happily employed turning out heavy barrelled blanks for Isrona to cover with intricate carving, or hollow out for a 'mother and child' style bobbin.

"Not tempted to make any yourself yet?" queried the master.

"Sir, Isrona has a long order to fill. It seemed better to make as many as possible for her. It would be unfair to steal some of that contract from her with finished ones." Said Elissa.

Gerney grunted; it sounded approving.

There was a loud **WHANG!** From the other side of the hall; and a CRACK as a flying chisel hit the wall, boys in the vicinity ducking instinctively, hands protecting heads.

Gerney was there at once.

"Stoffer." He said coldly. "Am I correct, Oran?" he spoke to the journeyman, one of the older men, who nodded.

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't get across in time." Oran apologised. Gerney gave him a hard stare, but said nothing in front of the boys. The boy Stoffer was rubbin his now sore hand surreptitiously and looking scared. Elissa fancied he was more scared of Master Gerney's wrath then of what had happened.

Gerney spoke again.

"Stoffer, how many times have I spoken to you about the correct angle to hold your tools? How many? Speak up!" as the boy mumbled something inaudible.

"I said I don't remember, sir."

Gerney sighed.

"Your trouble, Stoffer, is that you NEVER remember the most basic safety instructions. You are under warning from Master Challer; and you have been under warning from me. You begged for another chance – but this is the fourth time this has happened. I'm sorry, Stoffer, but you are a danger to your fellows. You are excused lathe work. From now on you will do pattern copying with the girls. Go."

The boy stumbled tearfully to the door: and Gerney addressed the others harshly.

"Get on with your work, boys. You only have a short while until the mid morning break to finish."

Alaran made a face, and murmured to Elissa,

"Banned! And if he's under warning from Challer, he's probably going to end up banned there too – then he's out of the Woodcraft Hall for ever!"

"How's that?" she asked.

"He's already been chucked out of Master Tirris' workshop for accidentally setting fire to lacquer.. and if Tirris had thought he'd done it on purpose, he'd have been chucked right out then and there. The masters are dead strict about fire. Only really trusted people get to do things like pyrography – like Isrona." Elissa nodded; she had seen pokerwork patterns on some of Isrona's bobbins. Alaran continued, "Anyway, you can flunk any two courses, but three and you're out."

Elissa pulled a face.

"Still, if he deserves it…he's not a babe, after all, is he? He's older than Kisra. You'd have expected him to grow out of making daft mistakes by now. It looks like carelessness, not accident proneness – not like T'han who can't walk across the Bowl without breaking a leg – " Elissa referred to a weyrlings a year or so her junior whose accidents were legendary at High Reaches "then I guess you can't keep people who are plain no good." She finished off another blank and dropped it beside its fellows in the basket. A gong was sounded for the mid morning recess, and the youngsters made their lathes safe before heading off for a drink of water and the necessary. Alaran added as they got ready to leave,

"There's always drop off." He sasid. "And you get people trained by journeymen outside, like you to replenish numbers. Not all get as lucky as you – H'llon's good. Some catch up, some don't. the Crafthall can't afford a name for bad workmanship."

"But why do people go for apprenticeships in the first place if they can't feel it in their blood and bones?" wondered Elissa. "Surely if you love the medium, everything else follows naturally?"

It was Gerney who, also on his way for a break, answered her from behind the youngsters.

"Maybe, young Elissa, it has not occurred to you that apprentices in any craft hall fall into two main categories: those who are drawn to their craft by talent; and those who do it because they have to do something."

"Sir, I don't understand. Why would anyone do something they don't really want to?"

He gave a half smile; it was almost half a sneer.

"You've been lucky in your upbringing, I suppose – like most of us Craftbred here or hereabouts." He said. "Some come to crafthalls because they think it will be less drudgery than tending crops and animals or drudging in a Hold. The truly unlucky are those who are craftbred but who have no talent – but feel a need to please their parents."

"Oh that's sad!" gasped Elissa. "To feel you were letting your parents down! Like if mine expected me to stand for Impression and it never happened!"

He nodded.

"Something like that. Now, hurry up, your own peer group meets in a very few minutes!"

Alaran and Elissa hurried to refresh themselves for the rest of the morning's work. They had more time than Master Gerney implied, for the Crafthall was generous with its breaktimes. Bendarek felt that in a long day, it was a matter of safety for the apprentices to rest regularly, and they put in only two and a half hours at a time in the mornings and a three hour session after the noon meal. Some masters split this session with a short rest period too.. Evenings were mostly free, with some additional classes on special subjects, usually only for those interested enough to attend. As work began as soon as breakfast was over, about seven o'clock in the morning, it was a long day, and many boys, especially the younger ones, were content to rest in the evenings, or divert themselves with mending tasks and games and hobbies.

The second session flew by; Master Gerney set a lesson on turning boxes with fitted lids, something Elissa had done before with H'llon: but the challenge for the two senior apprentices was to make a set of nesting boxes that could fit exactly inside each other! Elissa enjoyed the challenge of the really very tight tolerances involved, and without compromising quality, she and Alaran fell into an informal competition over who could finish first! Both had come close when the gong was sounded; and Elissa begged Master Gerney to let them finish.

"Are you tired?" he asked brusquely. She shook her head.

"No. sir, not yet. I know I will be, but I'm enjoying myself too much right now."

"Alaran?"

The boy shook his head too; and the master nodded.

"Carry on then. Oran, you may go." He dismissed the dismayed looking Journeyman and perched on a stool while his specials completed the project.

"You both made a competent job of these." He said, inspecting their work. "I wondered earlier if either or both of you was going to skimp – I saw you casting glances at each other to see who was ahead! H'llon and Arkis were just the same. I trust that like them you will always put quality above speed – for there's no point winning a race only to lose the prize, hmm?"

"Yes sir – I mean no sir." Said Alaran.

"He means we'll do good work sir." Said Elissa.

A ghost of a smile flitted across the master's stern lips.

"Good." He said. "Now go and eat."

28


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The youngsters were late for the noon meal, but Master Gerney excused them and they sat to eat ravenously. Once they had satisfied their hunger, Alaran winnowed through his acquaintances and dragged them outside to sit on the convenient roof of a half submerged corridor. Kyal and his sister were there, with Leichalle and Alaran's own sister Lusya, whose presence he had managed to wheedle. There were two other boys who had been in the previous class with them, named Tirlo and Teerel. Teerel, a tow headed urchin, had a twisted shoulder and a twisted grin that went with his wickedly humorous eyes; Tirlo just smiled. Elissa recalled hearing him speak in class, and knew that he stuttered badly; and thought it to Master Gerney's credit that he had neither hurried the boy nor second guessed what he had been trying to say, but listened patiently to Tirlo's rather drawn out explanation. The boy might seem shy on the surface, but the look he shot Elissa under his ridiculously long smokey lashes was shrewd enough. On due consideration, although she liked her, Elissa had not suggested involving Kisra. The child was too young to get involved in something that might prove risky.

"What's this about?" asked Kyal. Trained as he was for leadership he had, thought Elissa, a habit of taking charge of any situation. Alaran chose to nip this tendency in the bud!

"Let's leave that to Elissa to tell us." He said. "She has outlined a matter to me; and as she has expert knowledge, I suggest she runs this show. Only, Leichalle – you're going to have to swear not to tell your father. Not unless one of us gets into danger."

The diminutive blonde girl looked worried.

"I don't want to be part of anything he'd disapprove of." She said.

"He won't. Not really." Assured Allaran.

"I'll swear not to tell him if I think that's true. If I disagree, all bets are off." The girl said firmly.

"Just spill it!" demanded Lusya, impatiently, her eyes sparkling. "I've only got a little time off – and you lot have the afternoon's session."

Alaran waved a grandiose hand to Elissa; and the girl again gave the gist of the conversation she had listened to.

Kyal sat up straight.

"That's monstrous!" he declared.

Elissa nodded.

"T'lana came across someone who tried to cover up a murder by putting Thread on the body." She explained. "And he used a glass vessel to catch it. But I also know F'nor used warming pans right at the beginning of the Pass."

They nodded; it was part of folklore. Anyone should know that.

"Why would anyone want to do such a terrible thing?" queried Sadvia.

Her brother pummelled her gently.

"To discredit Asgenar, stupid."

"Lord Asgenar?" said Elissa "I hadn't thought of that. I thought they wanted to discredit Master Bendarek."

Kyal frowned.

"It's much the same thing…to discredit the whole idea of the Woodcrafter hall perhaps? Or it could be personal malice directed at either with the discredit almost an incidental. Or even at Master Challer personally because he is Timbermaster."

"What c-c-c-can we d-d-do about it?" asked Tirlo.

"We can be logicators." Said Alaran. "Elissa, explain."

Elissa explained again the concept of logicating, going into details about the murder she had just mentioned by way of illustration.

"I think we ought to tell my father what we're doing." Said Leichalle.

"I disagree." Kyal backed Alaran. "Later, when we find something out, perhaps, but right now I think he'd veto any involvement on our part. He almost has too. But we might see something the masters miss – because no-one notices apprentices, right?"

Leichalle pulled a face.

"And I suppose you want me to skulk around and find out what I can from father?"

"How did you guess?" grinned Elissa.

Life was rather a hectic confusion at first for Elissa, until it settled into a routine. The routine included meetings of the logicators, and a lot of hard work buoying up their spirits when nothing happened to solve the mystery overnight. Alaran had picked well, and they remained enthusiastic; and Elissa started telling Kisra stories of the Logicators of High Reaches – especially H'llon – so that the little girl could readily join them once the imminent danger was over. Meanwhile, Elissa was busy enjoying her lessons. Even the heavy work in the mill for the joy of watching the machinery; and when Master Challer realised her fascination he put her to learn under Journeyman Andreesas, the young man who had reported the Thread incursion, to learn to clean and maintain the machinery. There were also the long lists to learn about the properties of various timbers, the best ways to season them and their uses. Fortunately H'llon had given Elissa a good grounding in theory, and the drawings Geriana had made of trees indifferent seasons and details of leaves, flowers and fruit meant that she could readily recognise most varieties.

In cabinetmaking, Elissa enjoyed herself thoroughly, learning about 'Golden Proportions' so that furniture looked aesthetically pleasing. Master Idoghen pronounced himself satisfied with her inlay techniques; though she knew Master Tuon felt her efforts to be plain and too understated for HIS flamboyant tastes, both in parquetry and marquetry. Even more fascinating to her was her experimental work under the direction of Master Bendarek in papermaking. Only the tonguetied Tirlo participated in this work – the other students here were all journeymen. Rank, however, was relatively ignored in the paper shop, since expertise and ability counted more in this new craft. Elissa found herself well respected within the group; for her book of different papers she had made as a prentice piece had interested them all. Experimental work with Master Tirris was also interesting, finding the perfect dye and the perfect polish to bring out the colours developed: and how to make the best of the natural colours of the woods, and how different finishes changed that! The beauty of the natural grain of wood was a joy in Master Isimy's carving classes too, of course; but most of all, she loved turning. In her spare moments, Elissa made bobbins. Isrona told her that for simple ones she could ask a mark for ten bobbins as an apprentice – if master Gerney passed them; and it thrilled Elissa to think that she could start paying her own way, and more than cover the cost of the materials she used! Each blank cost a thirtysecond, giving her eleven sixteenths profit for every ten she completed! Besides, in turning the delicate things, she was learning; and soon she was starting to consider putting her skills together for a larger piece.

It was with Master Idoghen that the girl discussed her idea. Taken from a design H'llon had made in a hurry for Keerana, she wanted to build a food storage cupboard. It involved two cupboard units separated by a drawer; each cupboard having doors that, instead of being solid, had panels filled with tuned spindles or bars. Behind the bars she intended to set gauze, muslin or similar. Thus, air could circulate, preventing mould, but flies and other pesta could not get in to the food, nor could dust settle on it. The drawer between, if lined with copper or lead, would be filled with ice to keep the whole cool. Master Idoghen had an improvement to suggest here.

"You know what they say about Lemos – 'hard wood and hard stone, a way by which Lemos is known'.- you would do better to use slabs of soapstone to line it. If you buy a block, the big saws will cut it readily enough. And if you cut a plug hole through with a wooden bung, you can empty the ice more easily when it has melted, into a catch-pot."

Elissa nodded; and thanked the master. It made sense. She began to save her sixteenths from bobbins to purchase the necessary materials! It would be many months before she could either afford or find time to finish her project; for she could only work on private designs for a part of her lesson. But as her skills improved, she hoped Master Idoghen would credit her cupboard well to help her on the way to Journeyman! And if he also stamped it saleable, it would cover a lot of extra materials to make more things! Making a profit for its own sake never really occurred to Elissa – she just wanted to be able to start returning the percentage the Crafthall asked of any item sold to start covering her tuition. It was one reason she could not understand Master Tuon!

Elissa was in Tuon's class, bonding span length blocks of wood in preparation for slicing off the thin layers that she would then inlay. It was a simple pattern in two colours, as near to black and white as she could get without using dyes. She had planed them in a mitre guide so that when they fit togrther they made an arrowhead shape, staggered each side like a skewed checkerboard. She intended this to run as a line across the top of her cupboard and round the perimeter of her drawer. The spindles for the aerated cupboards were turned in the same two woods, to alternate, and set into a frame of grey limed oak. The liming would also, she knew, help prevent the growth of any moulds, as well as emphasising the grain of the wood and giving a smooth finish that would hamper dirt. She was intent on her work, but still looked up when Maaster Bendarek entered; it was rumoured a new apprentice would be joining them.

Elissa's mouth dropped open when she recognised the boy.

It was T'rin's friend Shoris, the Seaholdbred boy with the golden voice – and his little grren firelizard harmony. Elissa thought quickly. Harper business? He'd not thank her for blurting that out! She caught the boy's eye, put a finger to her lips and querked a quizzical eyebrow. He nodded slightly and gave her an approving smile. Elissa returned to work as though disinterested. Her reaction had been noticed by no-one; indeed, many mouths had fallen open at the realisation that the young apprentice had a firelizard of his own. Bendarek had passed over the matter, Elissa thought rather cleverly, in introducing the boy and glancing at Harmony when he mentioned that Shoris was seaholdbred. The conclusion that Harmony came from a lucky find of a wild clutch was evident.

At lunch, Elissa waylaid Shoris and pounced on him.

"Come sit with my friends, Shoris." She said.

He grinned.

"Why not?" the voice plunged from one octave to another and Elissa winced.

"Ooh!" she said. "You're breaking!"

"Why else should I leave the Harper Hall?"

Elissa held a chair for him and gave him a straight look.

"I thought" she said "It might be that you had been sent as a Harper to investigate the Thread being put into tree roots."

It was Shoris' turn for his mouth to drop open in surprise.

"How do you know of that?" he demanded sharply.

Elissa grinned.

"I'm a Logicator, remember? And these are my friends and we're all keeping our eyes open too."

She introduced all her friends, explaining to them just who Shoris was. Considerable time was wasted in making friends with Harmony, who basked in the extra attention. Envious eyes watched the chosen few from all the other tables, and Elissa was forced to give out the not-quite fiction that Shoris was a close connection of a dragonrider friend of hers to stop other apprentices trying to persuade him away to their tables!

"Clever" said Shoris. "but" he added dryly "So much for my secret mission."

"Fardles" cut in Kyal. "we can be discreet. And if we know, we can help keep up the pretence – even allowing for some knowledge of woodworking through boatbuilding and instrument crafting there must be gaps in your knowledge any apprentice would have. Unless you're playing the complete novice – which would involve you in too much work to investigate properly. So we can all help to cover for you."

"He's good, isn't he?" said Elissa, referring to Kyal. Kyal looked smug. Shoris pulled a rueful face.

"As you say, my experience is limited. I know no fancy work at all."

"There you are then!" said Alaran enthusiastically. "We can help out! You're of an age with Elissa and me?"

Shoris nodded.

"Then we'll cover. And as a Harper, you'll be good at remembering things, so we can stuff your head with theory and hope you can transfer that to your hands. I reckon you'll have done enough jointing not to send Master Jaben off in too much of Wherry-flurry; and if you craft instruments you must have touched on enough tool care not to fall too foul of Masterbastard Batol. He's a beast, so we'll prep you most on that."

"Anyway" put in Lusya "You have an extra pair of eyes on site in Leichalle; her family lives up there amongst the stands. And as I do kitchen work I can find an excuse to be pretty much anywhere anytime."

Shoris shook his head.

"Master Bendarek scarcely needs me!" he laughed.

Threadfall gave the logicators their first opportunity to follow up investigation; for Thread would have to fall for it to be collected.

All senior apprentices were required to serve as groundcrew with agenothree or flamethrowers; younger apprentices could volunteer. The smallest of these were placed for safety inside the big woodstores as an 'in case' squad, should any of the horrible organism blow under the wide covering roofs. They were bolstered by members of the ancillary staff who volunteered but who preferred a safer position. They were supervised by a master; and masters Tuon and Batol seemed to volunteer most, according to Alaran. Larger, more capable apprentices walked sweeps with the oldest ones and the journeymen and masters; and Elissa managed to convince Master Bendarek that she was sufficiently capable! The idea of being cooped up under shutters during Fall horrified the weyrbred girl; for as most weyrbred children did as a matter of course, she had trained in the use of a flamethrower to walk sweep with other weyrlings from the age of some twelve turns. Her performance was sufficiently practised to elicit a grunt of praise from master Gerney in whose group she had been placed. Had Elissa but known it, the Journeymen and Masters at the Woodcraft hall were more phlegmatic about facing Thread than were many crafters or holders; the threat to the timber stands was so significant that it had always been necessary to give extra ground cover, and most had learned to take it in their stride, as much as anyone could, as part of the Bargain with F'lar to keep the afforestation. No one, even a dragonrider veteran, could contemplate the wriggling grey mass without a thrill of fear and horror; but it was possible to control that fear and get on with the jobin hand with as much equanimity as possible. It had to be done; they did it without complaint.

Lusya was, as a non apprenticed woman, not required to leave the safety of the Halls; but like so many who were enthusiastic about their Crafthall, she chose to follow the main groundsweep with cans of agenothree in case pockets of Thread had been missed. She left the woodstor as the trailing edge passed to begin her job; others doing the same fanned out. Checking on the way out, Lusya noted that the sweep had been as effective as usual; what little had got past the Benden riders had been charred, usually in the air, before it could attack roots and vegetation. The firelizards of those masters and journeymen who had them had seared the stuff higher up, protecting the leaves of more vulnerable trees than sky broom. She found herself returning with her can of agenothree intact, a not uncommon occurrence!

The grey squirming mass squatting sullenly at the base of a tree had not been there on the way out. Quickly she poured agenothree onto the revolting stuff, her stomach crawling as it always did at the obscene writhing of the spores. She kept pouring until the writhing stopped, and the stuff disappeared in a muddy dissolved puddle. Then she checked around for more.

There was none apparent; but there were smallish footprints, indistinct in the leafmould, deeper where someone had squatted to tip the stuff out. And on a thorny branch was caught a single russest thread of wool. Lusya made a rough measurement of the footprints with her thumb; and took the russet thread with her.

Lusya was bursting with news when she finally gathered the other logicators together, tired and smutty after their exhaustive sweeps of the stands. Her tale, however, gave them new vigour!"

"So it's a youngster?" said Kyal, referring to the size of the footsteps.

"Leaf mould doesn't take good prints. It could be someone with long narrow feet on tiptoes- or a woman." Pointed out Elissa. "the footprints don't necessarily tell us that much, I'm afraid – but that thread of wool is a real clue!" she added. "There are, however, several logical deductions that tie in to the footprints which we can make from the timing of this act" she looked around expectantly.

"During sweep" said Kyal dubiously.

"So those involved in sweep are counted out because our absence would be noted" added Sadvia "So anyone who has senior status or who volunteered and all the journeymen and masters are out of suspicion. I'll check the lists."

"What if anyone cried off sick?" suggested Lusya.

"They'd have to do that regularly." Elissa pointed out. "I know some has been put in roots a day or so after Threadfall, but they'd have to be out to catch it, so the timing factor still counts. I should have realised that before. But there might be those who put up with being thought a coward or a skiver to get it done. Lusya, can you check the sick lists?"

the girl nodded.

"And I can check if anyone looked in on those sick tosee how they were." She added.

"B-b-basically" said Tirlo "It's us younger b-b-b boys and the w-women."

"He was with me." Said Teerel. "So we can eliminate each other."

Kyal looked surprised.

"But you're logicators - part of us." He said. "There's no question of any of us being involved."

Elissa shook her head.

"Teerel is right." She said. "How much do any of us know about each other? It's wise to eliminate ourselves first. "Shoris came after it started – so that's an out. So did I, though I can't prove that: but I was on sweep with Kyal, Sadvia, Leichalle and Alaran. We can all be checked up on…. You two corroborate each other. Lusya might technically have been able to plant it, but she'd be with the other staff in the sheds until the trailing edge passed, and she couldn't then catch the fardling stuff.. unless she slipped out – which could just be possible in the confusion."

Various emotions chased each other over Lusya's face and Sadvia put an arm around her. Elissa looked her in the eye.

"For my money, Lu, it's a silly idea. I trust you implicitly. But the place you were can PROVE things about the culprit – perhaps more than you found. We're going back there now."

Elissa searched the small grove Lusya indicated. The dissolved mass of Thread showed exactly where it had lain, and Lusya's footprints showed her first passage through on the muddy path

" – smaller than those in the leaf mould." Commented Elissa. "And here her feet return and divert to the tree."

The stench of seared Thread hung still in the air; and Elissa delicately picked her way along the indistinct impressions in the leafy matrix.

"Where was the woollen thread?" she asked. Lusya indicated the branch. Elissa carefully examined all the prickly branches nearby. With a cry of triumph she picked out three blonde hairs from a branch above her own head height.

Lusya looked chagrined.

"I missed those." She said.

"I'm taller than you. And I was looking for them." Said Elissa. "Being blonde is even more proof positive that our dark haired beauty here " – Lusya swung a playful fist at her – "is in the clear. Our culprit is about seven and a half spans high, half a span taller than me." Elissa was quite a tall girl for her age, a long brown thing.

The logicators bathed and met up again.

"Summarising" said Kyal, taking charge, "our culprit is seven and one half spans in height; he is blonde; and he owns or wears at least one russet jacket or tunic. I hypothesise a jacket, since it was awful chilly out there today. It is either a tall junior apprentice probably with small feet; or a woman."

"I can't see any of the women doing something like that." Scoffed Lusya.

"Unless" said Elissa "We have the idea wrong about discrediting the whole hall. Is there anyone who holds PERSONAL enmity against master Challer? Or a journeyman under him in charge of the stands? Or indeed Master Bendarek or even Lord Asgenar?"

"One of the women makes snide comments about a journeyman with a craftcot…she's a big bully, I don't like her. But I saw her in the store sheds with her daughter." Said Lusya. "Actually, I take back what I said. Ruika would be capable of almost anything if she felt it Right."

"It does seem unlikely, though, that anyone would go to such lengths just for a grudge." Alaran said, frowning in furious thought. "Besides, as Master Bendarek and Master Challer both know, and think it a general attack, it would spoil the whole object of the exercise."

"But does the perpetrator know they know?" Asked Elissa. "We know that they know, but we can't know if he knows that they know."

"Now that's a convoluted thought. Stop it, you make my head ache!" complained Kyal. "It does seem a little far fetched though, this personal grudge thing."

"I tend to agree – but it's important not to get too set on a theory to exclusion of others without proof positive. Theories should fit facts – not the other way around. People DO odd things for strange motives." Elissa explained patiently. "Like you, I'm almost certain it is an attack to discredit; and it almost has to be an apprentice, or supposed apprentice, infiltrated for that reason."

"Isn't that a little far fetched too?" asked Lusya. Elissa shrugged.

"What else is Shoris but a supposed apprentice introduced for a particular purpose? He's here with the connivance of Master Bendarek, but we're a young enough craft. No-one would be that surprised if a lad turned up with very limited experience of the more technical crafts here."

Shoris had listened to the logicators without comment to that point. Now he interposed,

"I like your reasoning Elissa. It makes sense. So now we need to find out who is NOT a senior apprentice who joined the craft hall before the incidents started,"

"a NAND gate." Nodded Elissa, brought up on Boolean algebra under T'lan. "But we don't know exactly when it started."

"I can get that from father." Volunteered Leichalle. "But it will mean telling him something. Elissa, do you mind me telling him you overheard, and spoke to me because of being his daughter?"

"Seems good. If he askes who else knows, you'll have to tell him I guess. Kyal and Sadvia kind of have a right, because of being Lord Asgenar's Blood, so he probably won't quibble there: you'll have to think fast about the others if he wants more detail."

Leichalle wrinkled her nose.

"Thanks." She said dryly.

"We're visiting cousin Asgenar for his birthday celebration." Put in Sadvia. "it's tomorrow. Because he's so closely associated to the Crafthall he has duplicate records. I could rummage in his hides and make a list of all the apprentices joining before that date, if you can get it by then. Else I shall have to write down everyone." She grimaced. "Elissa, Tirlo, you work in the paper shop. Can you purloin me some leaves?"

The two apprentices nodded.

"Easy." Grinned Elissa. "Consider it done."

Challer was not happy that the news of the attacks had got out; but he grunted a commendation for Leichalle to pass on on Elissa's discretion in speaking to his daughter – and in not spreading panic. His tiny daughter was the light of his life; and it was not hard for her to appease him to the point that she mentioned Sadvia and Kyal and hinted that extra eyes would help the Harper boy. Challer blinked.

"How by the first egg did you know about him?" he demanded.

Leichalle put on her best innocently winsome look

"But father – he's an old friend of Elissa's. She recognised him and guessed what he was here for. Of course, she hasn't spread it around, but she felt I had a need to know… and so of course does Lusya after finding more Thread today on her way BACK from checking."

"MORE Thread? And found by someone not of the senior staff! Still, that friend of yours is a steady girl. As for your new friend Elissa – that little girl could find herself being too clever for her own good if she's not careful." He said grimly. "Whoever is behind this has to be dangerous and desperate to even consider handling Thread. Still, if she continues to be discrete…"

"As a Harper." Murmured Leichalle with only the barest touch of irony in her voice. "When did all this start, father?"

The question was introduced casually; and Challer answered without thinking.

"About three months ago, midwinter. Whenever it was warm enough for Thread to fall not freeze" he said.

Leichalle hugged him as far as her arms would reach.

"Shoris will soon find it all out." She assured him comfortingly.

"Just don't go putting yourself in danger!" warned her father.

"Of course not" she agreed truthfully. After all, she meant to take all due precautions while investigating!

Fortunately for Sadvia, her cousin's record sheets showed which youngsters had been designated senior apprentices and which had not, together with their age and date of joining. Some older than the twins had not yet been accorded senior status, including the girl Jivana; others a little younger had been presented with their tassels. In all her list consisted of some two score boys and the odd girl; and she grimaced as she wrote down all the details she could. Personally Sadvia felt it extremely unlikely that any of the really little boys could be involved; but she wrote everyone down. There might just be a lad pretending to be younger than his turns; for sometimes boys grew tall at ten or eleven turns, and she could think of a few lanky beanpoles! It seemed a gargantuan task but Sadvia did her part faithfully.

"What ARE you doing?"

Asgenar stood in the doorway. Sadvia gasped, reviewed a number of possible lies and decided to fall back on the truth.

"Has Master Bendarek told you about someone planting Thread in the stands?" she asked bluntly.

Asgenar blinked.

"I didn't think he'd planned to tell all and sundry like grubby apprentices" he drawled. Sadvia flushed.

"Some of us came across the information by accident and thought we might be able to help" she said defensively. "It's Kyal's and my duty, certainly. And Master Challer knows."

Asgenar's face cleared.

"Well he'd not led you youngsters put yourselves in danger." He said.

"We're working with the Harper masterharper Robinton sent." Sadvia assured him. "My new friend Elissa knows him, so he kind of had to confide in usa bit when he found out how much we knew already."

"I believe I've expressed the opinion before, you little monkey, that you should be well spanked" opined the Lord Holder. Sadvia grinned.

"We got some clues, so we're cross-correlating to see what names get left to keep an eye on" she told him, leaving him blinking at the mathematical term used freely by logicators. The implications of what she was saying struck him sharply.

"An insider?" his question was incisive. "Ah. The apprentice list. I follow. You know" he grinned boyishly "you sound like that little Weyrwoman from High Reaches."

"Well, Elissa's trained by her I guess." said Sadvia. Asgenarr's eyebrows rose.

"I did suggest to Bendarek that he talk to T'lana – if not H'llon." he said. "But if we have a deputy of hers…" he finished dryly.

"We can be of use over this to you and Master Bendarek." Sadvia asseverated.

"Just so long as I don't get too inquisitive over exactly who 'we' are, huh?" asked the young lord. She gave him a grateful smile.

"My FAVOURITE cousin!" she said.

"Don't push it."

38


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Elissa was delighted with the list.

"That's…forty three people you have here, forty boys, Ishelle, Jivana and Seeta. Seeta's shorter than me so SHE's out; Ishelle's hair is blonde, but it's rather coarse, and our specimin is fine; and she's not tall enough anyway, alas! So she's out. Jivana could fit." She ran her finger down the list. "Riccon and Elvy are in my class, and they're dark so THEY are out. That's down to thirty nine. I'm inclined to strike anyone who came more than three months before this all started else it would have begun earlier; given that there might be a need to settle in first. That's down to twenty seven."

"I can help with some of the younger ones" said Kyal. "I help out with coaching; and most of them are way too short, because we're looking at about my height. These ones here….that brings us down to nineteen."

"Excellent" gloated Elissa. "The scientific approach brings us down to manageable numbers. Most of the rest I guess are those we don't know well enough to see if they physically fit; or who fall into the bounds of possibility. So we need to tabulate this carefully. One column for height, another for hair colour, one for feet size – it's the narrowness that counts."

"Nine out of ten people in Lemos have narrow feet" said Lusya. "The rest are related to H'llon's father."

There was laughter at this sally; and Elissa added

"And a final column for jacket shade and one for other notes. In case anyone has an alibi."

"I'll scribe it then" said Kyal.

"on two sheets, Kyal – place those not in any class we attend on a separate sheet because many of them can be quickly eliminated on physical grounds." Elissa suggested. . "Those that are left can be transferred to the main sheet."

Kyal nodded

"Be nice if we could get hair samples" said Lusya.

"Yeah, right." Scoffed Teerel. "We go up to them and say 'can I have alock of your hair?'like they'd give us anything but a clout!"

"hairbrushes" said Lusya succinctly. "I can get on the cleaning team and get them."

"Brilliant!" enthused Elissa

"Let's get rid of who we can first" said Kyal.

The logicators spent a couple of surreptitious hours affixing unobtrusive markers at doorways around the Woddcrafter hall, mostly in the dining hall. Carved figures received small folded paper hats; paper flowers sprouted from leaf clusters.. the next few days saw a flurry of cross checking as boys filed in and out, and names were ticked or crossed on charts. Ultimately the possible number of boys was brought down to nine. In addition to Jivana, one was older than Elissa's group, three were younger and the remaining four were about fourteen turns old and shared classes with Elissa's group.

"It s-s-s-sems unlikely th-that either S-Sarney n-nor M-Mikris would d-do it." Tirlo reviewed the list.

"Sarney is only on because he was sick that day" put in Lusya. "He normally walks sweep – and I think there's a time when he was on sweep when Thread was put in the stands."

"Strike Sarney" said Elissa. "Good – I like Sarney. I like Mikris too, but we can't strike him right away. Though he is craftbred in a craftcot. We'll put a highly unlikely on him, because he almost counts as here more than three months. Who else is our age? Tage and Hertol. Tage? He's the gentlest creature around! He's kind and noticing when people are down."

"He was with Sarney in the sick room" remarked Teerel. "I remember, he came to scrounge a bubbly pie I'd saved to make Sarney feel better."

"Good – strike Tage" approved Elissa. "Hertol. He's a funny boy. He works hard enough, but he's not what you call outgoing."

"The w-w-word you w-w-want is m-m-m-monos-s-syllabic." Put in Tirlo.

"So he's a possible" Elissa put a star by him. "This one – Barek. What's he like?"

The twins and Leichalle pulled a face.

"He's a bit younger than us." Said Kyal. "I don't like him. He's a decent craftsman, but he pinches ideas and other people's tools."

"Doesn't necessarily make him the culprit – but let's mark him in." said Elissa. "Jivana is someone I just can't stand on general princilal, but I can't see her carrying Thread around. She might break her pretty fingernails."

"Shish-shish!" laughed Lusya, imitating a queen firelizard's jealousy hiss.

"I know what she means though" said Sadvia. "It does seem improbable. I guess I could do it, if I felt I had reason enough. But Jivana's a bit too fancy to do anything unpleasant."

"Who's left? Rayenn, Kamar and Bierol. They're younger than us. Let's go crash in on them" suggested Elissa. "What excuse can we come up with?"

"Apple pie beds for all the senior apprentices?" suggested Shoris. "The older ones will have to stay out."

"Rather puerile." Said Alaran.

"But believable." Said Elissa. "It's not a dangerous prank, but it could beone the younger boys could enjoy. Let's see if any of our own are puerile enough to join in."

The logicators homed in on their quarry. Elissa was actually apprehended by Rayenn; Alaran selected Bierel, Tirlo and Teerel picked out Kamaar, a boy with a cheerful pleasantly ugly face. Shoris used his harper tongue to persuade Hertol along on the venture, though the boy was unenthusiastic. Shoris was sure he could pump the boy given long enough.

Rayenn was saying,

"You're weyrbred, they say" his demeanour was sullen; but his body language deferred to her…

"Yes, I am" said Elissa. "my parents are part of the support staff."

"Didn't you want to try for Impression?" his face filled with awe and a kind of hunger.

"I love dragons – but I love wood more" shrugged Elissa. "I guess if there's a green somewhere for me, nothing will stop me being in the right place for her at the right time. But I so want to learn! Besides, I'm not sure I feel old enough to Impress, with all the responsibility it implies" she added.

He gave her a sideways look; and she could not interpret whether it contained contempt, envy or sheer disbelief; or indeed a combination of them all! Without comment and without enthusiasm he helped make the apple pie beds in the dormitory she had selected.

Alaran found Bierel rather to his liking.

"It's a silly thing to do." The younger boy said.

"True – but sometimes silly helps relieve tension" Alaran tried to find good reason for the prank. "Master Batol has been down on some of our chaps lately " it was bound not to be a lie – Batol was always down on everyone – "and we wanted to let rip some. And some of the senior apprentices have been rather pompous so we thought we'd bring them down a peg or two. There's too many for us, so we decided to invite you lot in. actually" he grinned "It's the thrill of not getting caught."

"I'd rather scale the log store to put a trophy on top." Said Bierel.

"Master Batol's underlinen? Now there's a thought!" Alaran chuckled. "we must get together sometime and discuss it…"

"He's not in his room right now" Bierel was enthusiastic.

"Whoa now – that's not something to do without preparation" said Alaran; and was struck with genius. "we need to organise a good alibi before we do that, else he'll come blazing at us with full flamethrowers, and I don't mean figuratively speaking!"

"What's an alibi?"

"It's when you find someone who will say you were with them when the deed was done. Most people have 'em by reason they really were where they say they were. Like during Threadfall. There's a rumour someone laced Master Gerney's klah with garlic, mustard and capsicum." invented Alaran mendaciously. "Bet you can't tell me how many of your fellows were with you during Fall."

"Yes I can" said the boy, calmly. "Most of them were playing dragon poker for huge imaginary stakes in our common room. Pover and Rayenn weren't there. I was with Kemmet because he hates Thread so bad he always tosses up his guts in the necessary, and it's very important to make sure he drinks plenty afterwards."

"Well, that proves it wasn't you!" grinned Alaran, relieved. "And when we do Master Batol, we must make sure people think they saw us when it's being done."

Bierel snorted.

"No need for subterfuge, Alaran. Any boy'd lie to get one over that stinker. And we got an alibi – the apple pie beds. Confess to the lesser crime to cover the greater."

Alaran stared at him in admiration.

"You ought to be a harper with a warped mind like that!" he declared. "So let's do it!"

Tirlo and Teerel got on famously with Kamar. His wickedly twinkling eyes more than made up for his strangely squashed up features, and his comments on some of the senior apprentices left the two older boys rolling around on the floor helplessly laughing and gasping for breath!

"You're after something, aren't you?" Kamar asked shrewdly when they had recovered. "You want something from us."

The two exchanged glances.

"What would you think of someone trying to sabotage this Crafthall?" asked Teerel.

"I'd fardling well kill them. This is the best thing that ever happened to me!"

They believed him.

"Were you with anyone else during Fall?" Teerel asked.

"Sure – we were all in our big room. Almost all, anyway." He amended. "Journeyman Torrey was in charge of us because if he goes out in Threadfall he turns into wherryfeed so they make him stay inside. We're supposed to be under his eye. You know." The boys nodded; the same rules applied to them. They were assigned one of the female apprentices of nervous disposition. Kamar went on "the ones who were out were Bierol, Kemmet, Rayenn and Pover. But I know where Po was. He had some learning to do for Master Challer, so he hid out in the dormitory. He doesn't want a fail, see?"

"P-Po is d-d-dark h-haired, huh?" asked Tirlo.

"no, ginger, why?"

"M-maybe you better m-m-meet our friends." Said Tirlo diplomatically.

Shoris did not get far with Hertol; the boy disliked putting himself out for no gain. However, by judicious questioning, he did establish that the boy had run errands in the kitchen during Threadfall in the hopes of getting spare bubbly pies. It could be corroborated. It did not rule him out entirely; there would be time between errands to run one of his own. But it gave him some coverage.

The logicators met again; they went to a small grove that they had adopted as their own; and the Tees, as Elissa dubbed them, brought Kamar. Alaran turned up late and with torn trews and a self satisfied grin. Elissa raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think I'll ask." She said. Alaran grinned fiercely.

"Great idea." He said. "Bierel's covered."

"So's Kamar here"said Teerel. "And he's awful good at nosy – and making observations about people."

Elissa didn't sigh. They were not really pressed for time. She explained logicating carefully to Kamar, and the current problem. the boy was delighted!

"You bet I can help!" he said. "'cos I know there was four people out of the room because we had two tables of five each playing dragon poker."

"Fine." Said Elissa. "So if we think Mikris is unlikely through being craftbred – and Jivana is unlikely for being Jivana-ish, that leaves only Rayenn and Barek.. and, though I don't know Barek, I certainly feel that Rayenn is hiding something. That is one unhappy little boy. He played the prank like a boy doing chores. And his eyes are haunted."

"I WILL kill him if he's doing that!" cried Kamar.

"No you will NOT!" snapped Elissa, Alaran and Kyal all together.

"We need to know why" said Elissa. "He strikes me as a very very unhappy lad indeed – and I'd like to understand."

"He must be questioned about it" said Shoris.

"Kamar, ask him to come here" said Sadvia. "don't take no for an answer."

Rayenn picked his way unenthusiastically into the grove. The group of older apprentices shifted slightly to surround him. Elissa had asked Shoris if she might question the boy; and he had agreed.

"Tell me, Rayenn" she began in a conversational tone "Why would someone who would like to be a dragonman do something so terrible as planting Thread where it might take hold?" her voice remained pleasant throughout; but the look of horror on the boy's face confirmed her deductions. The greenish tinge, the remembered loathing was that of one who had seen Thread too close. He half turned to run; and found his way blocked.

"There's no point running" said Elissa inexorably. "it will go before master Bendarek; but we're prepared to listen to your side first."

"If you have good reason" said Shoris "We will do our best to help you. I am the harper sent to find you, you know. With, albeit temporarily, judicial powers."

The boy looked around, caged, trapped. He licked his lips nervously.

"YOU!" he shouted at Elissa. "You abandon dragons for these trees! They're BAD! My father says they risk Thread. I was CAREFUL I only put a little in so people would see trees are bad, that F'lar was a fool to permit it, so proper dragonriders could come back!"

"Proper dragonriders? Those who encourage a youth to spread their natural foe? Dragonriders who like the commons to cringe and run from them – as they made you cringe?" Elissa's voice was heavy with sarcasm. "And if trees encourage Thread, you should be able to cite examples of incursions other than those you planted. But you never will. And who is this precious father of yours?"

"His name is P'ren – he's a Brown Rider!" his voice had mingled pride and fear.

"Oh yes – P'ren. I've heard of him. He likes to rape holder girls. My friend's sister didn't take kindly to that. She bit him on the wherewithal." Elissa said matter-of-factly."My friend Z'linda doesn't think much of him. No more do I if you fear your own father the way you seem to."

"But he's a Brown Rider!"

"Sure. And he puts on his pants in the same way everyone else does, only by all accounts, he mostly takes his off. I bet your mother's a cotholder and he never took an interest in you until he thought of a use for you."

The shot went home.

"He sought me out last year!" he whispered. "he said I should have a chance of Impression if I only did as he said."

"Oh you poor kid!" Elissa put her arms around the boy; and at that almost unknown kindness he broke down into wracking sobs. Gradually the whole story came out. His mother had never wanted him and made it clear all his life that she resented him. When his dragonrider father made a fuss of him he was flattered.

"High reaches, I think." Said Elissa firmly. "Shoris, can you put it well for Master Bendarek?"

"Well, DUR! I am a Harper."

"Oh yeah…"

"I'll see to getting a message to T'rin via Harmony." Said Shoris. "He and T'lana, T'bor and R'gar must know, but otherwise he can start with a clean slate. I'll be sure to explain to the masters how he was coerced."

As Shoris had thought, Masters Bendarek and Challer took a dimmer view of an adult bribing and coercing the boy into dangerous action than the actions of the boy himself, once they knew what had happened. Shoris promised to take a full account to Master Robinton so that a watch could be set on the man P'ren.

"By other accounts I have heard" said Shoris carefully "He's not popular even with his fellows in Southern; and he's certainly not on any popularity lists anywhere in the High Reaches region. This could have been a single mad attempt to win approval by discrediting, ultimately, F'lar. It is my estimation, sir, that a full report should be tendered to the Benden Weyrleader in confidence; particularly if you inform him that you have handed the boy over to Weyrwoman T'lana."

Bendarek frowned.

"Why? Why would he want the matter noised abroad to another Weyr – and have the boy out from under his own eye?"

"Sir, T'lana is F'lar's daughter and he holds her in great esteem." Said Shoris. "That's in confidence, by the way." He had dug this little gem of information out of T'rin in conversation. It seemed to him that the Master Woodcrafter had a need to know.

Bendarek nodded thoughtfully.

"I see. I, too, reside every confidence in T'lana. Very well. I would be obliged if you would stay with Rayenn in isolation until he is collected. If, of course, they'll have him"

Shoris nodded.

"I should like apprentice Elissa to have access to him." He stipulated. "She can prepare him. She feels sure they will take him; and she ought to know."

Bendarek nodded; and arrangements were made.

H'llon was mildly surprised when the message was passed from Elissa via Melth – the Woodcrafter Hall blue dragon knew the big Bronze quite well though his young rider was rather in awe of H'llon – to request attendance of Zith and her rider and, if available, Adeth and his. The message had to have originated with Elissa since only she knew of Adeth and Z'kan's rather surreptitious presence at High Reaches. H'llon burned with curiosity; but duly passed the message on.

Z'linda was glad that she had moved into the middle trimester of her pregnancy; a peculiar message like that tickled her curiosity too! She was furious when Master Bendarek met her and Z'kan and explained the situation – but more furious at P'ren than the pathetic scrap of humanity they were taken to meet. She had had a long chat with Elissa before they even approached the boy; and had taken on board the girl's assessments.

Elissa had secured permission from master Gerney to miss one of her beloved turning sessions tobe with the boy. She had taken the master into her confidence and had explained all. He had, as all the masters had, been told of the Thread attacks and listened with amazement.

"You should have told me –or one or the masters – what you were up to." He said sternly.

"But sir, what you didn't know, you couldn't forbid!" said Elissa logically.

Gerney gave a crack of rare laughter.

"Well, I thought you were as purposeful as H'llon – in what you see as your duty as well as your craft. Do NOT presume on my recognition of your talent though! This – logicating – must not interfere with your rare ability. But if you MUST interfere in adult business – and you have been successful in this case which brings its own forgiveness – always confide in an adult. I am willing to treat what you may tell me in confidence: or there is Master Challer, whose daughter you say is your friend, or many others if you do not wish to place your trust in me."

"Sir, of course I trust you! And it would be splendid if you would like to be a logicator too!" she beamed at him. Gerney opened his mouth and shut it again. It had not been what he had meant; but it would be well for these youngsters to have a moderating influence!

"It is the duty of every master to take an interest in the activities of the apprentices" he said rather stiffly, aware that he was inordinately pleased that the child should greet the idea of his involvement with so much apparent pleasure. He had no doubt that the logicators would continue their activities regardless of whether he approved or not; boys will be boys, and so, it seemed, would some girls. It was far better that there be a modicum of adult supervision!

Thus, Elissa presented Rayenn to the dragonriders. He cringed back, seeing their knots, and Elissa hissed at him

"Be proud!" you are a dragonrider's son, which means once he was a hero, even if he's gone bad! And you are a person in your own right, with your own destiny in your hands!"

Rayenn could not manage proud. He had spent too long being beaten down. It was a measure of his inherent spirit that he was not completely bludgeoned into dullness. And that spirit exerted itself to peer up and ask,

"What are they going to do to me?" he tried to hide the fear in his voice.

"Rayenn, you are an idiot!" cried Elissa. "These are Z'linda and Z'kan. They're weyrmates. They are going to be your foster parents at High Reaches.

"The – the Weyr?"

"Of course, the Weyr! I told you! You're going to High Reaches Weyr. You belong in a Weyr. Anyone who loves dragons does."

The boy's face assumed a hungry look, his eyes dark with emotion.

"But – but that would be a reward, not a punishment!" he said.

Z'linda's heart filled with sympathy for this poor mixed up little boy and she squatted down beside the bed where he sat.

"Rayenn, you know that what you did was terrible. And I'm sure that every time you did it you worried – not for your own safety, but in case no-one found it."

He raised big hurting eyes.

"How did you know, weyrwoman?"

"Elissa told me. But I can see it in your eyes anyway. And it's Z'linda, not weyrwoman."

"Look, son" Z'kan sat down beside the lad and put an arm around his shoulder "I know P'ren. Some people call him charming; and some people call him creepy. I call him a selfish little pig and a bully. He's flattered and bullied you by turns and no-one fully blames you. We're all sure that you'll do your best to make amends. And Z'linda and I would like you to be our foster son."

"You-you want me?" he was incredulous.

Z'linda nodded.

"But no one WANTS me! You don't know if I have any skills or anything to make me useful or anything!"

"It's not important." Reassured Z'linda. "You love dragons. That's enough. And you need someone of your own – not just a user like P'ren. Real family – even if it's not by blood. And as Z'kan already has a daughter a few turns older than you, and as I'm expecting our first child, you'll have siblings too. I hope you'll not mind too much having a baby around, they take a while before they get interesting and less smelly, but we already decided to start a family before we knew about you, so that's the way it is."

Rayenn broke down into sobs; and Elissa stole out. He'd be all right with Z'linda and Z'kan – they were good practical people!

Later, Z'kan said,

"And if you think about it, lad, it took rare courage to go out without a dragon to catch that stuff – and wait until Fall had passed and the sweeps gone. And you've managed to avoid being scored too!"

He shook his head.

"The first time I was scored – my arm. I took a can of agenothree with me always."

"And you never told anyone…did you get hold of numbweed?"

The boy shook his head. Z'kan whistled.

"Courage in the face of pain too. Rayenn, you should have come to the Weyr as soon as you were of age!" declared Z'linda.

He sniffed.

"I wanted to make my father proud of me – to feel that I could be of use. He said I didn't look like much but I might do."

Z'kan ground his teeth.

"But for his dragon I'd like to finish the job I started." He gritted. "Like Elissa said – be proud. You're a brave young man. If a misguided one. And I know WE shall be proud of you!"

47


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N Okay the forum is up and I'm getting the dragondex up letter by letter for convenience. I'm afraid A is called 'who's who' and the rest dragondex and I can't find a way to edit my own posts once posted or even delete them to replace with standard titles which seems a daft way to have a forum run because it means a moderator can't delete offensive posts either. Anyone know anything more about how I could do this?_

_This dragondex should cover a number of books ahead of where I've got to posting. If I can't edit or delete I shall have to post other people as replies  
_

**Chapter 6**

Elissa walked late into the turning class; and those not aware of her dispensation waited with bated breath for the Thunderbolt to fall. Gerney however merely glanced in her direction.

"Satisfactory?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. It'll be fine" she replied. He nodded.

"How's your leatherwork?"

"Leatherwork sir? Goodish."

"Lathe seven has a worn belt, it needs replacing. There's a treadle cobbling machine in the cubby hole to roll it on."

"Sir."

Elissa had no fears for her leatherwork. Being Weyrbred she had mucked into help repair fighting straps from a very early age, starting with waxing thread and working her way up through the skills. some riders favoured rolled straps to reduce wear and tear on the thinner strap work and so she knew how to do it; it was just a question of checking the measurement. She got on with the job, and by noon was fitting the metal pin that held the two ends.

"You can help me fit it" Gerney told her; for whilst the job could be done by one, two made it easier. He dismissed the class a little early so he would not have to concentrate on more than one thing; and let Journeyman Oran go too. It was plain that the journeyman was glad to be excused from helping sort out the equipment; he bestowed on Elissa that plainly said that he was glad another sucker got the job. Elissa liked machinery; so she was merely pleased that Oran was not jealous that an apprentice should have got the trusty job. She was not aware that Gerney did not in fact consider Oran sufficiently trustworthy to make the belt accurately! As it was, she held her tongue firmly between her teeth in deep concentration as she fed the belt into the groove and passed it down to the master. She held it taut so that Gerney might slip the pin through the other end. He tested it to each of the gears and with a nod of satisfaction, gave her a quick smile of thanks.

He was actually rather handsome when he smiled – and a lot younger looking! Elissa reflected that he'd be less of a misogynist if she could only find him a good wife!

Life returned to normal after the departure of Rayenn; and Elissa continued to work on her store cupboard. Master Idoghen was enthusiastic, and asked her if he might show her working drawings at the Hold. Elissa was more than happy. She was at pains to point out that the original idea had been H'llon's, when he found Keerana complaining about bugs in the storage caverns creeping under the weighted cloths she generally covered food with.

"He made the first one a bit hurriedly, and it's serviceable, but very plain" she explained. "But the ice drawer is my idea. Keerana stores meat deep in the caves, for we have plenty of ice kept cool under sawdust. Not that any food needs to be kept for long with a host of hungry weyrlings!" she laughed. "I thought it would be nice to have an attractive kitchen item for somewhere with less excessive hungry mouths!"

"I think it could prove popular" said Idoghen in his thin precise voice. "Particularly further south where food spoils quickly. It is a nice functional piece of furniture. Very functional indeed."

That was praise indeed!

Most of the work Elissa was engaged in was routine; reels and bobbins formed most of her lathework, and spokes and hubs for wheels. A journeyman in a craftcot specialised in wheels, but was not happy teaching large numbers of apprentices. Bendarek had hopes of an apprentice of his, who showed a lively intelligence; it would be good to expand the repertoire of the Woodcrafter Hall to include wheelwrighting.. it would also be nice to have a special class in bending and shaping wood. Master Tirris undertook such work as was necessary, together with a journeyman whom Bendarek hoped would be suitable to be a new Master Woodbender. It was, however, one of the more frivolous skills, and others were more important. And the only frequently used curve was a wheel; and that was built up in sections with a metal tyre around it.

Routine too was the most part even in Mater Isimy's carving shop. The chance for free design was rare; apprentices spent time copying designs onto matching chair backs or chests if they were lucky; or cut deep into woodblocks requested from the Weavercraft Hall for printing fabrics. Other than the simplest designs, only the must trusted were given the arduous task of cutting into the close grained hard wood used; for it was precision work. Patterns had to be pounced through prickings on hide or glue-stiffened silk with pouncing chalk and drawn up exactly so that top matched bottom for repeat patterns and so that overprintings in different colours fell into the right places. Elissa and Alaran were two of a select few of the apprentices to be permitted to engage in this important work, so lucrative for the craft hall. Elissa was again joyful to think that she could work to pay for her education; and wondered at the skill of the printers lining up the blocks again and again. It gave her an idea; and she spoke to master Isimy.

"Sir, we print the backs of Dragonpoker blanks. If we could print onto paper, we could disseminate information far quicker than copying information or instructions – which could be a help to Harpers, if every journeyman had several copies of the teaching songs, all bound together as books, for example."

"What, carve out a copy of each song? It would be time consuming at first, , but I suppose it would save time in the long run" he said thoughtfully. Elissa shook her head.

"No, sir, I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about blocks with common words on, made several times – and, the, of – things like that – and start to build up a collection of other words as they come into things. Also spaces with nothing raised, and punctuation. Then if we made a frame the size of a leaf of paper and jammed each block in tight we could print anything as many times as we wanted it – then dismantle it and print something else!"

Isimy was much struck.

"Well, Elissa, my little cousin" he boomed "It looks as though you've talked yourself into a project, doesn't it! You can get Alaran to help you if he'll do it!"

Alaran was willing; free carving time to him meant a hell of battering his brains for inspiration, for though technically excellent, he found design difficult. The first task they had to consider was the size of the letters. They had to be large enough to print clearly, but small enough to get a reasonable amount to the page.

"At least we have plenty of paper" said Alaran, practically. "We can experiment. If we'd had to rely on hides, someone would have had our ears!"

"We'll start with something simple." Decided Elissa "Like a little book of the most useful medicinal herbs. And we'll do illustrations to go with them to sit opposite the appropriate description and uses. When we finish, we sew the leaves together and use glue strengthened cotton cloth for a cover. It's not as good as hide, but it's durable and cheap. And we'll test out if people want them by selling them at the next Gather."

"Or the Gather after. This is going to take forever." Grumbled Alaran.

"Wherry teeth!" said Elissa airily.

Elissa had not forgotten her project for getting a good wife for Master Gerney. She approached him one day after class when he had praised her work.

"Sir, I know you say I have talent, but I had trained before I came here, and you saw some of that work. Is it not possible that some of the other female apprentices or Journeymen have talent too? Especially, say, Kisra, who as H'llon's sister may show familial talents" the journeymen were thrown in casually; Elissa thought it a good idea to try to persuade Gerney to give girls opportunities anyway, but if she could introduce crafter women as well it could be an advancement of her plan! Warring emotions flitted briefly across Gerney's stern face; and Elissa went on quickly,

"Would it hurt to give them all a brief introduction and a trial? I – I mean some might not be too good, but that's true of boys too."

He scowled.

"You put me in a cleft stick, Elissa my girl. I am inclined to think that you are the exception that proves the rule. But you also throw my theories about not wasting talent in my face."

"Sir, in general, girls find it harder, I think, to single-mindedly pursue a craft. Which makes us all exceptions to some extent." She wrinkled her nose "Except those escaping marriage and childbearing who have just enough ability to scrape along."

He gave her a straight look.

"Anyone particular in mind?"

"Sir, I'd be unfair to tell you my predjudices."

"Yes, girl, you would. Well I will think on it. I will certainly think on it. And perhaps with younger ones like Kisra there is time to mould them."

"But it would be a waste not to give the older ones the opportunity to add to a craft they love!" she interposed hastily and earnestly.

The look he gave her was definitely of the old fashioned variety.

"Did anyone put you up to this?" he asked.

She shook her head with a clear conscience.

"Oh no sir! I just thought it was a good idea, and you did SAY to approach you with any ideas I had. And as I said, there may be female journeymen who have not had the opportunity to learn turning."

He grunted.

"I did say that, didn't I? Well, as I said, I will think on it. I'll go no further than that!"

With that, Elissa had to be content. There were several young female journeymen who had never turned before. That Isrona had tried many years ago was a problem, for she thought the comfortable and jolly woman would make a fine wife for the irascible master. Perhaps he would have forgotten that she had already tried – and perhaps Isrona would like a second chance to be able to make bobbins!

As Elissa helped Isrona with her bobbins she confided in the journeyman that she had suggested to Master Gerney that he give other female apprentices and journeymen a go on the lathes. The older woman stared at Elissa in lively horror!

"You did WHAT? And he didn't blister you? Shells, girl, but you've got some effrontery!"

"He said he'd think about it" said Elissa defensively. "I thought you'd be pleased. I know there were only limited places for lathe workers before, but now maybe you could get to turn your own bobbins without relying on hoping I get it right for you!"

Isrona gave her a motherly hug.

"There, child, don't take it to heart, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that he's such a crusty so-and-so (and you didn't hear that from me) that I was taken aback. Think about it, he said? Well well!" she chuckled. Elissa's heart sank. It did not seem as though Isrona might be prepared to take Master Gerney seriously as a potential mate.

"He's not that crusty really" she explained earnestly. "He's a bit short sometimes, but only when people are being unbearably stupid or mucking about. He's only ever barked at me when I deserved it."

Isrona chuckled again.

"That's not what I hear from a lot of apprentices." She said.

"It's like R'gar" nodded Elissa. "He's dead stern and strict because fighting Thread is dangerous. Like lathe turning. But he's kind underneath."

It was an outright laugh that Isrona gave this time!

"My! Well, I suppose it's good to admire your special master" she commented. "But he always was grouchy. Even as a little boy he was single-minded and serious, and he couldn't bear any of us playing the fool at all!" seeing Elissa's look of surprise she said "Yes, he and I are of an age, you know. We were about your age at the start of Fall. He was rather stuffy, if you want the truth – a bit like H'llon! Not that he didn't manage to get into trouble" she added reminiscently.

"What sort of trouble?" Elissa was curious.

"Well, he was always after experimenting with different woods – and sometimes he got into dreadful scrapes getting samples. You know – sliding down cliffs, falling out of trees, he was forever breaking bones and coming home covered in bruises!"

Elissa was fascinated! She was trying to picture the stern master as a rather solemn lad, covered in abrasions from his excursions. It was an easier picture to conjure when she thought of his rare laugh and quirky half smile which revealed a still boyish side to his nature.

"A bit like Alaran?" she asked.

"Well – yes, I suppose so. Only Alaran has a sister – and I suppose Lusya doesn't let him get too pompous. Gerney's an only child and fatherless into the bargain. My goodness, I mustn't gossip like this!" she declared, horrified. "It's what comes of working together. Don't EVER tell him I was gossiping – and don't spread it around either!"

"Discrete as a Harper" promised Elissa.

Upon due consideration, Master Gerney offered classes first to female journeymen on the principle that they had already learned to be steady. Isrona attended out of sheer curiosity. She had forgotten most of the basics that had been taught when she was a girl by the old man who was the last of the family who had kept the skill alive. That the boy Gerney had taken to it like a dragon to flight had been fortunate; and he had made the skill his own, learning the art of building lathes as he went. It made him the undisputed master that he now was; even the other two that the old man had felt able to teach had not been as keen or as good. One was Master Idoghen; and he readily turned legs for his furniture. The other was the Masterwoodcrafter himself, Bendarek, talented enough all round to be the undisputed leader in the Woodcrafter Hall. Others had learned later, including at least one female, whilst Gerney was working his way up his chosen craft, but the old man had died when he had barely made Journeyman, and it was soon that he had been precipitated into a master's post as the only one capable.

There were only half a dozen female journeymen at the Woodcraft Hall; two of whom, including Isrona's sister Teenara, had married and all but given up their craft. Teenara had two infant children and preferred to raise them herself rather than foster. The other married woman took the same attitude. Of the four active journeymen, only two others besides Isrona expressed any interest at all; and both were younger than she. To Isrona's chagrin, she found the trial lesson harder than she had thought. Indeed, only one of the three of them got more than a dismissive sniff from Gerney – though he had to admit that their safety techniques were exemplary. The girl who was adequate, Elika, liked the idea of learning more as a sideline.

Gerney was, if truth be told, disappointed. He agreed to accept Journeyman Elika, because she was no worse than any of the boys who were able to satisfy his stringent standards; but none of them had shown real talent. He wondered whether it would be worth while bothering with running trials for apprentices as the journeymen had proved so unpromising. Yet the challenge from that annoying chit Elissa gave him pause.

With a sigh, Gerney issued instructions for the female apprentices to assemble.

Bendarek was amazed.

"You're going to test them, Gerney?" he asked. "Is this because Elissa has proved so satisfactory?"

Gerney pulled his dark brows together.

"I will only accept those who show real talent amongst the older ones" he said uncompromisingly. "But I will begin to accept little ones who are malleable still. I still think most girls are too silly to train: but I can always ban those who do not reach the standard. But I should hate to let talent go untrained – and I accept that if Elissa had not been trained by H'llon she would not have had the skill there and been able to shine in the way she does."

Bendarek hid a smile.

The young weyrbred girl had a managing aspect to her personality that bore the stamp of all the High Reaches weyrwomen!

The female apprentices who assembled filled Gerney's heart with horror. Kisra he knew from family connections and knew that she was, like her brother, conscientious. He had few fears for Leichalle; for her father would not permit dangerous habits to form. Of Sadvia, he hoped that she would be like her twin, capable of hard work; but the rest, or rather the older two of the rest, filled him with dismay.

"Take those ribbons off your dress." He snapped at Jivana. The girl had dressed up for the occasion; for she found Gerney rather attractive in a dark, brooding way, and thought he might make an interesting conquest! The girl flushed, but recovered, fluttering her eyelashes.

"But master, if I do that, my bodice will fall down. And that might be a little embarrassing!" she cooed.

Elissa had managed to insinuate herself into the group and glared at the older girl as Gerney flushed dull crimson, clearing his throat.

The flush was as much from anger as embarrassment.

"Then go and change." He instructed, his voice clipped. It was a danger note and Elissa winced, hoping no-one else irritated him.

"You." He pointed to Ishelle. "Tie your sleeves back. They are too full."

Ishelle opened her mouth; thought better of it; and complied. Gerney nodded to Sadvia.

"You first."

Sadvia and Leichalle were the oldest with Jivana out of the room; and Sadvia proved completely incapable of treadling! She found it impossible to coordinate the movement of her feet with performing any task with her hands; and at the best of times could scarcely manage a jerky motion. Leichalle was better; and Ishelle performed acceptably. Seeta could not contain her nervousness and kept dropping chisels; and finally fled sobbing from Gerney's spreading scowl.

Fortunately for Elissa's fingernails – she had started to chew one nervously – Kisra did better. She smiled gravely at Gerney, climbed onto the stool, and made no mistakes.

"Good" grunted Gerney.

"Thank you sir, but I have been watching everyone else and learning" said Kisra with the grave honesty that characterised her.

"Does anyone want a second try?" Gerney asked. Heads were shaken!

"I've not had my first try" purred Jivana from the doorway. Divested of frills, her tunic was cut on the bias from one of T'lan's patterns; and it clung exactly to her ample figure. "Is this better garb Master Gerney?" her voice was breathy and Elissa scowled. He'd not fall for this fancy piece, would he? Jivana was definitely not the sort of woman Elissa had in mind!

"It will do" commented Gerney, dryly. He leaped back with alacrity as Jivana and her assets advanced on him.

"I missed some of the explanation. Could you show me how to hold the tools?" she peeped out at him from under her lashes.

"Elissa, please demonstrate. As you are being nosy, you may as well be useful" demanded Gerney.

"With pleasure" grinned Elissa. She caught his eye, and rolled her own orbs upward. Gerney tried to look repressive; and did not quite succeed.

Jivana could have been good enough to pass the class had she been interested; but it was the master she was interested in, not the class. And to have some snotty brat instructing her brought out all her negative feelings. She did a reasonable job; but it was a sulky performance!

Gerney cleared his throat as Jivana wriggled off the stool.

"As there is a lot of training involved I see no reason to break with custom with you older ones as no-one displays true talent. However, Kisra shows some real promise; so she will henceforth report with the boys in her level. Elissa, as you have your masterclass with me at that time, you will work with her to bring her on to parity with the boys by giving her extra instruction."

"You think I'm good enough to teach her, Master Gerney?" Elissa's eyes sparkled at the compliment. "Thank you sir!"

"It was not exactly a reward" said Gerney dryly as the other girls filed out. "More in nature of a punishment for saddling me with this hopeless crew."

Elissa shrugged and grinned at him as she started to help clear up.

"But at least you know they're hopeless, sir" she said. "Poor Sadvia! How can anyone not be able to treadle?"

He gave a sour smile.

"Plenty of boys have trouble too. If she'd asked for a second go, I'd have accepted her. Her brother wouldn't quit, he insisted on learning how to work the thing. He spent several weeks just working the treadle."

"No, Kyal won't be beaten by anything. I think Sadvia's quite content to be Master Tuon's favourite pupil, even if she is a little cynical about the reason why!"

Sadvia had commented about the self opinionated marquetry master who always seemed to find a reason to lean closely over her work!

Gerney started to laugh, then turned it into a cough.

"Watch that overly clever tongue of yours, young woman" he said.

Elissa looked up at him.

"Now, there was me obeying your injunction to tell you things!" she said, eyes twinkling wickedly. "Besides, Master Gerney, you know I mean no malice. It's just sharing thoughts. And it would be improper to say something about a master you couldn't say to another master, wouldn't it?"

"You're a strange child" he said. "Your morals are quite firm: but you come out with things no-one else would!"

"Isrona says I'm full of effrontery" said Elissa cheerfully. "But it's only that I don't wear a different front for different people. I only shut up more with people I like less."

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment – almost flattery in fact" he said dryly.

"Well – no. because that implies a studied comment to make you feel good, doesn't it? The exact opposite of an insult. It's only that I happen to agree with H'llon that you're one of the best."

Gerney did laugh this time.

"Go away you pernicious brat!" he ordered.

She grinned; and went.

55


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

H'llon and Z'kan turned up shortly thereafter. They looked pleased with themselves.

"Hullo, Elissa!" greeted H'llon. "Z'kan told me what was going on, and after he peeled me off the ceiling we looked up P'ren."

Elissa looked worried.

"You didn't kill him? His dragon…"

H'llon shook his head.

"But he knows that if he ever interferes North again, himself or by proxy, just exactly what a wheel-turned mill saw could do to him."

"H'llon got very graphic" added Z'kan.

"Hmmm. Suitable" approved Elissa. "What's in that basket?"

"Firelizard eggs. There were a couple of wild clutches. We thought a few amongst crafters would be a good idea. I've reserved a queen for Bendarek and some likely to be bronzes for other senior masters" said H'llon

Elissa nodded, pleased.

What masters are you going to give them to?" she asked.

"Challer, of course. He needs one roaming about amongst the stands. Isimy, because he's my uncle and I like him; Tirris because he's separated from the main body of the Hall; and my father, just because."

Elissa nodded.

"Are you giving other eggs to other masters and journeymen?" she asked.

"Oh yes. Any suggestions you'd like to make, shortstuff?"

"Masters Idoghen and Gerney are nice" she said. "And journeyman Andreesas works in the stands with Master Challer. And there's your aunt Isrona."

"Well that pretty much tallies with some of my own ideas. I thought I'd give one to Kisra too. She's old enough now."

Elissa nodded again and H'llon grinned because she was hiding disappointment well.

"And I thought I'd give you some to share with your friends. But Elissa! Do it like wild Impression – keep them as a clutch and let the firelizards choose. I think it's better that way."

Elissa brightened.

"Pot luck, huh? Sounds good" she gratefully took the basket H'llon gave her and started for her quarters; then changed her mind and trotted with her burden back to the latheshop.

Master Gerney was clearing up; he looked up as Elissa came in and gave her a nod.

"Please" she said "I have a dilemma."

"Indeed?" he smiled inwardly at her solemn demeanor. "Tell me about it."

"Well, H'llon's brought Firelizard eggs for masters – your one is in there somewhere – and he gave me some to share with my friends. But I don't want to take them back to my quarters because of those silly girls; and if any of the boys take them, there'll be jealous boys too."

Gerney thought hard. The girl had a valid point. He would not like to think that any apprentices would steal Firelizard eggs, or worse, break them to prevent others having them; but then, with so much temptation at stake, he could not answer for all of them.

"I suppose" he said grudgingly "I could keep your eggs in my quarters by the fire. They do need a fire all the time, don't they?"

Elissa smiled gratefully at him, nodding affirmation to his query.

"And I know all about firelizard care because I've helped with H'llon's fair" she told him. "So I can make myself useful to you in exchange!"

H'llon had picked the biggest eggs for Bendarek to share out to deserving journeymen; though it was not always an indication of colour, it did indicate well grown healthy creatures. The eight he gave to Elissa were probably green; but not necessarily!

Elissa explained to her friends how it would work.

"Some people may get no egg; some may get two. It's a bit of a lottery, but I expect I can persuade H'llon to bring more another time. And we can all stroke them and help care for them."

"And if you end up without any?" asked Kyal.

"I shall be gutted." Said Elissa, frankly. "But I'll be glad for whoever has them – and will hope for one another time."

Elissa kept a eye on the eggs as they hardened.

"Just feed any mouth that comes near" she told both logicators and Master Gerney. "They'll go to whoever feels right. It's not like dragons who want just one person; but it is akin."

Gerney sent a curt message to Elissa one morning at breakfast asking her to attend him; and her practiced eye told her what he had guessed.

"The few resident lizards haven't started humming yet, but I'd guess there's less than an hour…I'll go get loads of meat and call the others." She said; and was away, long legs flying, her brown bob dancing around her.

Lusya came up from the kitchen gladly with cut meat; and Elissa issued strong suggestions to the other kitchen staff that as hatching was imminent, meat should also be sent to other crafters with eggs. The humming had started when she returned to Master Gerney's comfortable but plain quarters.

The other logicators rapidly assembled, wearing the faintly embarrassed looks of barely tolerated guests; and Elissa, unconscious of their discomfort, set the bowl of meat down near the basket on the hearth.

"Don't let them overeat" she instructed. "Watch the curve of their bellies. They're only little things – they can be killed by overeating. And they're not bright enough to know that."

A sharp SNICK! Got everyone's attention; then creeling lizards were cracking out of shells all around. Elissa found food being torn from her fingers, finding it difficult to obey her own instructions about overfeeding in the light of desperate, hungry peepings.

At last, satiated firelizards snuggled up to their people. Gerney, bemused, found himself with the only bronze, a brown and a blue!

"I'm sorry kids – I was only supposed to have the one" he said. "These two extras just turned up" he stroked them gently. "And H'llon said it was probably a brown!"

Elissa shrugged gently, not wanting to dislodge or disturb her little green and brown firelizards.

"It's not that precise a science. Unless you're D're who can 'see' the colours. But that's a talent like talking to dragons or sensing Thread. I'm sorry not everyone was lucky this time – I really am. But don't feel guilty or worry about it, Master Gerney. They just like you, I guess."

Kyal and Sadvia were among the disappointed, as was Leichalle; although they were all genuinely pleased for their friend Lusya. For she had Impressed three firelizards – a blue, a brown and a green! The only other egg had been Impressed by Tirlo, who's face was split into a grin of pure joy as he fussed his little brown.

"Disproportionate" Murmured Elissa, calculating. "A bronze, four browns, two blues and a green. Except for the bronze, those numbers are back about face statistically."

"T-to s-somewhere else with s-statistics!" said Tirlo, remembering just in time as he started to speak that mentioning the Red Star terrified all lizards, even new hatched ones; for Elissa had warned them all.

"I'm going to need help with these" said Gerney ruefully.

"I'll help, sir!" volunteered Alaran quickly, disappointed not to Impress even one.

"Aren't you helping me, brother?" teased Lusya.

"You've got girl friends" said Alaran. "I'm Master Gerney's Special – with Elissa. And she has her own hands full. Fair's fair."

"Quite a sizeable fair – of lizards" punned Elissa.

Jivana was both piqued by Master Gerney's apparent indifference to her not inconsiderable charms – he barely seemed to even see her when she 'accidentally' passed close by him in her prettiest dresses – and she was also jealous that 'some of the kids' had firelizards when she did not! As the oldest of the female apprentices at already eighteen turns she felt it most unfair. She had even tried her seductive charms on the handsome Bronze Rider who had brought them; to no avail. H'llon had merely told her that the eggs were to be assigned by Master Bendarek save those he held in his own gift. She had then turned her beautiful appealing eyes on the attractive Brown Rider; and Z'kan had laughed, slapped her familiarly on the buttocks and told her she was not his type! Jivana burned with embarrassment at the memory! However, she knew she had scored the small victory of making Gerney blush – and if she could not have a firelizard, she determined to add his scalp to her collection and have his firelizards at her beck and call!

Jivana felt sure that if she could turn her charms on a firelizard, she would soon have it eating out of her hand. She had no understanding of the nature of Impression at all! Thus, her joint plan involved a visit to Master Gerney when she heard of his Impression of three lizards to offer help.

"Master Gerney" she cooed "I heard you have so many firelizards, I wondered if you needed any help with them!"

"Er – I, er, well…." Gerney was tongue-tied. In a crafting situation he could handle an apprentice. At the door of his own sanctum, Jivana was a threatening object. He wanted to tell her that he needed no help thank you; but she put him on the defensive.

Elissa stepped into view.

"Have you experience in caring for firelizards, Jivana?" she asked.

"No, but I'm sure I could help." Jivana managed a smile; irritated as she was to find the younger girl there, she was sure she could soon make Gerney send her away!

"If you know nothing about it, I suggest you leave it to those who do" said Elissa stonily.

Jivana flushed angrily.

"And you, I suppose, have plenty of experience?" she asked sarcastically.

Elissa heard the sarcasm; and chose to ignore it.

"Why yes, of course! I've helped with H'llon's and Telfer's."

"H'llon! Doesn't anyone talk about anyone else? He's just a stupid great wherry-head!" spat Jivana.

Gerney grabbed Elissa by the arm as the girl started to launch herself at her mentor's detractor. Jivana's lip curled and she went on,

"Oh yes, of course, I'd forgotten you were weyrbred. Ishelle said you were probably bedding him. And now you've got yourself a Master for a lover to put your marks up. Though what he sees in an ugly brown tunnel snake like you, I don't know!" Thoroughly angry, Jivana dripped spite in her words.

"Apprentice Jivana, your words are unwarranted and most insolent" said Gerney, coldly, his own ire rising. "I suggest you apologise."

Jivana looked at him smugly.

"And why would I need to? You'll not discipline me. I've only to tell Master Bendarek that I found you alone in your quarters with a junior apprentice who is obviously your mistress."

Gerney blinked in surprise and shock and opened his mouth to speak. Elissa said quickly

"Let her say what she likes, Master. The Masterwoodcrafter hates a liar. Go on Jivana – tell your fibs. But don't expect sympathy!"

She reached under Gerney's arm and slammed the door; and Alaran emerged from out of line of sight of the older girl. He looked shocked.

"How could she speak so to a master?" he gasped.

Elissa shrugged.

"She's good enough not to get thrown out for failing the courses and she's busy sleeping with Master Tuon so I suppose she thinks she can get away with it!"

"Elissa!" Gerney spoke sharply. "That is repeating gossip!"

"No, sir, it is not. I kind of nearly tripped over them in the marquetry hall when I went in for some maple veneer. I could get it without disturbing them so I didn't interrupt. It was none of my business anyway. Both seemed happy with the arrangement. And if he's laying Jivana, he might stop pawing at Sadvia" she added matter-of-factly. "Other folk's love life is none of my business so long as it don't upset my friends. But if she starts attacking me and mine, I'll use it against her if I have to" she declared fiercely.

"But – but it's most inappropriate for a master to be with an apprentice like that!" gasped Alaran.

"Wherry teeth." Snapped Elissa. "It's not as though she's a child, or coerced into it. If both are happy with the situation, where's the problem? She's old enough to be a journeyman – just too inept. But if that's the craftbred attitude, it gives us a weapon. Though I'm loath to use it because of setting precedent in a case where genuine affection lies."

"The attitude is against a master taking advantage of a youngster and forcing attentions on them." Said Gerney. "Girl or – hrrrm – boy."

Elissa nodded.

"That's the same in the Weyr. We have a rather overenthusiastic blue rider who's watched to make sure he doesn't put undue pressure on the boys who Impress greens."

Gerney cleared his throat loudly in embarrassment!

"The situation between - um - Jivana and - um- anyone else is hardly one of coercion" he said. "At least, not HER being coerced. So, er, I would keep your findings to yourself rather than, um, using it."

"Master, I am sorry - that little slut really has addled your yolk!" said Elissa, concerned. "Stop thinking about her. There are lizards to oil – and it's a much more convivial thing to do."

"Yes, but what about what she said about you!" declared Alaran indignantly. "Ugly brown tunnel snake indeed!"

Elissa laughed.

"Well, I'm hardly one of life's beauties, am I?" she asked . "Tall and skinny, all legs, brown hair – dead straight – brown skin, brown eyes. Tell me that's pretty and I'll call you a liar. I care less – I'm cleverer than she is."

"You're the colour of – of polished rosewood!" declared Alaran hotly. "And tell me the colours of wood aren't beautiful and I'll tell YOU you're a liar!"

Elissa looked unconvinced.

"Children!" interposed Gerney. "I say one thing. My little Teak and your Mellow are brown. All over. Except," his eyes softened as he stroked Teak "Their rainbow eyes."

"Brown is beautiful, huh?" laughed Elissa, stroking brown Mellow and green Trill. "Well, it works for firelizards. But you'd look askance if I were as blue as your lapis!"

"Or bronze like Maple!" laughed Alaran. "Actually, you are sort of between the colour of maple and teak – and that goes for the woods as well as the firelizards."

"Of course. Or why would he have so named them?" said Elissa practically. "Your digging yourself a hole, actually, Alaran. I'd stop if I were you."

"The browns in brown firelizards are as varied as wood colours, aren't they?" asked Gerney, wonderingly.

"Yes. Tirlo's Hoggy is almost red-brown – hence picking a name inspired by mahogany. And it's the same with all colours – wide variations. Dragons are much the same. It's one way of telling them apart. It's as well to get to recognise firelizards from colour, mannerisms and face shapes – because if you just think of firelizards as firelizards, anyone who has Impressed can send a lizard to spy. And so long as they have an egg and meat, anyone can Impress a lizard regardless of how nice or otherwise they may be!" said Elissa seriously.

"Do they pick you for your attitude in the wild?" Gerney was too curious to mind being lectured by an apprentice.

"Well… they avoid people who feel nasty. But they're not bright enough to understand that people can project friendly and loving thoughts and still be mostly mean underneath. What they mostly go for is raw power, and the projection of thoughts is a – a secondary consideration. Because the person with – whatever it is they have project STRONGER and they can feel it better. It's a fair bet that anyone who Impresses firelizards, especially in quantity, has a good chance of Impressing a dragon."

Gerney looked startled.

"You mean I should stay away from weyrs?"

Elissa chuckled.

"It does look that way, doesn't it?" she grinned. "The cut off age is usually twenty turns. I guess that has to do with the mind still being young enough to adapt to the sharing. But Queenriders are traditionally older. I don't know" she twinkled. "the unkind could say that some Holder women taken on Search have nothing in their minds to worry about finding room for a dragon's thoughts – but it would, alas, be untrue. Such women would be unlikely to Impress. It may be to do with women often being more adaptable than men. Or it may just be custom. Our oldest male to Impress was D're, he was twenty one I think. But I guess you're safe, Master, if you don't like the idea!"

"I think every small boy dreams of riding those magnificent creatures. But my life is here – I don't think I'd want to give it up."

Elissa nodded.

"I love dragons – but I love wood more. A lot of people don't – can't – understand that. My parents think me most strange that I'd rather aim for Journeyman than stand for Impression. Though I'd strongly advise, Master Gerney, that if you ever have children you should give them the option. It does tend to run in families."

Gerney raised an eyebrow.

"I see. There seems to be something within the family since there is also the example of H'llon" he seemed to be reflecting seriously. Elissa added,

"Yes, and Lusya has also three firelizards."

"But hold on – I didn't Impress any firelizards" put in Alaran "Even though my sister did."

"It doesn't mean you won't. it could just mean you let your mind wander at the time and gave less attention to thinking how lovely the firelizards were than to wondering what you were going to do to your fancy boxes" said Elissa.

Alaran flushed and grinned ruefully. He was making a set of nesting boxes with a view to earning good marks at the next Gather; and his preoccupation with them was becoming legendary with his fellows!

WWW

With the extra work engendered by firelizards, Alarans's gloomy prediction that they would be unable to finish cutting blocks to print herbals by the summer Gather was fulfilled. They had completed several pages of information, but were held up on the illustrations which Elissa insisted had to show all parts of the plant and be good enough to help someone who had never seen the plant before.

"For we know" she said "That knowledge was lost since the time of the Ancients – and T'lana's calculation book survived and gave us some knowledge back. If people forget the uses of herbs, our books might help in the future."

"You're an incurable romantic!" snorted Alaran.

"So what?" she asked; and he had no answer!

WWW

Most of the youngsters had managed to assemble some pieces for sale at the Gather. It was Crafthall policy that apprentices would apply themselves more readily to their studies if they could achieve material gain from them as well. Elissa had turned several small boxes, not nesting like Alaran's; but she had set inlay in the lids. She had carved no wording on them to indicate what spices they might hold, as some did; for if plain, they could be used for any herbs or spices, or even cosmetics. Elissa had also chip-carved a pattern of dragons flying around the edge of an otherwise plain rosewood box. She divided off the interior, putting into each division a turned spool for coloured thread; then laid across the top a tray to hold scissors, needles and other sewing equipment. Master Isimy had stamped it for her, as had Gerney her boxes. She judged she would gain three quarters of a mark for the box after paying for her materials and paying her due to the Crafthall; and probably a quarter mark each for her half dozen turned boxes. Of course it was nothing compared with the earnings of a Journeyman who did nothing but make goods for sale; but they were also responsible for the upkeep of their own households. Moreover, the prices that could be charged for her work was lower, because of being 'prentice made, for that must be declared on the Woodcrafter stalls. Elissa wondered cynically if some unscrupulous marksman would buy at 'prentice prices and charge higher elsewhere – for her goods were, she knew, as good as most Journeymen's!

Despite her cynical musings, Elissa was looking forward to the Gather and she dismissed Jivana entirely from her mind – for she only ever saw the girl briefly in any case, under Isrona's eye.

WWW

Master Gerney received a summons to Master Bendarek's office; and duly attended. Bendarek looked grave as he motioned the lathe Master to sit.

"I've received a strange – even extraordinary – accusation about you" said the Masterwoodcrafter.

"Oh?"

"An accusation that you've been behaving improperly with a female apprentice" Bendarek's tone was neutral.

Gerney chuckled.

"Oh? You mean apprentice Jivana has leaped in with both feet and no facts to back her little fantasy that I might be sleeping with young Elissa?"

"You are well able to refute her story?" said Bendarek.

Gerney grinned.

"The girl came to my room alone – ostensibly to help with my firelizards. Elissa answered the door, and Jivana jumped to the conclusion that she must be alone with me. I doubt" he said dryly "That she seriously believes this story of misconduct. She's just a spite filled minx. And she never ascertained that Alaran was also in the room" he added as Bendarek raised an eyebrow over his description of Jivana. "At least, if she is not spiteful, why should she be so careful about Elissa's reputation but feel her own to be above reproach when she came alone to my room?"

"Hmmm" Bendarek nodded "Let me ascertain the full story by asking Alaran. Send him to me."

Gerney nodded; and went in search of the boy.

WWW

Alaran was certain he had done no wrong; so he stood before Master Bendarek with a faintly enquiring look on his face. The Master came directly to the point.

"I want you to tell me about an incident involving Master Gerney and apprentices Jivana and Elissa" he said. Alaran's face cleared.

"So she did go through with that ridiculously puerile threat!" he said "Well, it happened like this, sir" he explained concisely. Master Bendarek listened, nodding from time to time. Alaran's account – being Alaran – was full and left out nothing, even Elissa's account of discovering Jivana with Master Tuon.

"Of course, she is Weyrbred" he added, apologetically "She doesn't look on such irregularities in the same way as normal folk do."

Bendarek hid a smile. He found it quite refreshing that there were young women who could mind their own business and keep from gossiping! He said,

"Thank you, Alaran. That is all."

WWW

The interview with Jivana was a lot less pleasant. Bendarek was disgusted with the girl's spite; and Jivana completely bemused, found herself expelled from the Woodcrafter Hall, told to pack her things and leave.

WWW

There was a brief, unpleasant, scene when Master Tuon demanded of Bendarek to know why the girl was being dismissed. Bendarek gave him a cold look.

"It is not, I assure you, on account of her being your mistress" he said, bluntly "She is old enough to know her own mind; and the pair of you were at least discreet. It is because she tried to get others into trouble by untruth and deceit."

Tuon flushed. Bendarek added,

"If you wish to marry the girl, it is your own concern. But she will no longer be an apprentice: and you must set up your own establishment for the pair of you to live in."

"MARRY HER!" Tuon was horrified. "Most certainly not!"

Bendarek shrugged.

"Then she returns to her home" he said "And the First Egg help you if she's pregnant!"

Tuon paled; and Bendarek felt a moment's malicious pleasure. For his own part, Bendarek though the girl too well practised not to use herbs – and pick her own times in her cycles to boot. But he felt no reason not to give the Master of Marquetry an uncomfortable week or two for his lack of discrimination!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A small hold had grown up in association with the woodcrafter hall to trade foodstuffs and essentials; it was from this Hold that Sadvia and Kyal came. Their father Syal was Holder there, helped by his wife Kimetta. The twins had asked their friends to eat the nooning meal with them, and some of the younger logicators were trying not to be overawed. Elissa tried to reassure them; after all, it was not (as she pointed out) as though Holders had two heads or anything like that; they were people like everyone else. She found it difficult to understand why her fellows should feel awe for people that she was used to considering among types more likely to be a minor nuisance than anything else! Of course, there was a wide variation; people like Rillys, or T'lana's cousins were far less stressful to deal with than B'lova's parents; and judging by their children, Elissa was inclined to expect Syal and Kimetta to be more like the former than the latter, and looked forward to meeting them.

In the meantime, travellers had been arriving at the tent city that grew up around the Hold from several days before the Gather was due to take place. They would have to dismantle the tents and withdraw to the caves at the end of the gather day, for Thread was scheduled from the early hours of the morning; but at least that meant only one night's discomfort in the cramped caverns.

Elissa volunteered to help set up stalls, her two little firelizards enthusiastically trying to hold things as she directed them. She had been brought up in the High Reaches school of thought that firelizards should be well trained, else they were no more than flutterbugs! Her industry also gave her the chance to look around the other stalls before the Gather opened, and see what else was on sale; for those apprentices who volunteered to help were given time to look around by way of reward.

The minecrafter stall fascinated Elissa. The miners had brought many examples of Lemos' beautiful stones, semi-precious gems, nodules full of crystals and nuggets of beautiful metals. She returned thoughtfully to the Crafthall and sought out Gerney.

"Master, Master Idoghen said that soapstone would cut with a saw. Would it turn on a lathe?"

He was taken aback.

"I do not know" he replied honestly. "Surely it would blunt your tools?"

"May I re-sharpen the chisel that Stoffer spoiled and try?" she asked.

"By all means….natural stone has its own beauty, like wood. They go well together. And a plain stone cylinder hollowed within a decorative wooden jacket would be more suitable for storing such spices as are pungent." He suggested.

Elissa grinned.

"My big ice drawer may have to wait – I'm fascinated by experimentation!"

"Buy a larger piece than you need and experiment with the offcuts." Suggested Gerney. "If it will turn, I'll give you leave to take a pack runner up to the minehold and purchase more."

She beamed at him; and her face transformed. As she grew up, the sharp little girl face was giving way to a winsome pixie attractiveness, especially when the gold lights in her nut brown eyes danced in pleasure. Gerney wondered how the girl Jivana could ever call the girl 'ugly'!

On the minehold stall, the pretty gems that caught the eye were in many ways the least interesting things for sale! Samples were available, more for the choice of stone to lay for floors; large orders could be made after the small samples helped the customer to choose. Most custom would usually come from minerals to use as pigments for pottercrafters and weavers as well as Master Tirris' wood dyes. Some colours could be easily collected as vegetable dyes; and Tirris made lacquers and waxes from the products of trees and other plants: but the rarest and richest colours such rich blues, were best obtained from rock pigments. Small pieces of soapstone were also regular sales; some folk carved soapstone into tiny works of art, but it had practical applications too, for weavers needed it to carve weights for their looms, and often preferred to make their own. The bakercraft and beastcrafters too often used stone weights to give good measure; they were cheaper weights here in metal-poor Lemos than brass or lead ones. Since soapstone was usually bought in small lumps at fairs, the amount requested by the thin, big-eyed girl with woodcraft apprentice knots took the miners by surprise!

"Building your own hold, little 'un?" chaffed the miner journeyman.

Elissa grinned.

"Never you mind!" she laughed. "How much?"

The price was good; and Elissa counted her remaining fractions.

"What price on these small pieces?" she asked: and began to dicker amiably over coloured offcuts such as normally sold for loomweights. It also occurred to Elissa that thin slices of stone might also be inlaid into wood as parquetry; and with her best wistful look, she also persuaded the miners to throw in some emery powder for polishing!

Luncheon with the twins' parents was a pleasant affair. Even young Kamar was rapidly put at his ease. Syal and Kimetta plainly adored their twins – and their younger offspring – and were proud of their achievements. The twins had three younger sisters, two within a few turns of them. The older, Indeela, was about Elissa's age, but neither she nor her next sister Amira were interested at all in woodcrafting. Indeela talked of nothing but clothes and handsome young men; and Elissa thought her a silly creature. The youngest child by a number of turns was called Ambreen; and she spoke excitedly of when she would be allowed to start an apprenticeship in just over a turn's time!

Naturally, the firelizards were much admired; and Tirlo was so enthusiastic he barely stuttered at all! Indeela and Amira were inclined to squeak when the little creatures went near them; but their mother reproved them for such affected foolishness, thereby winning approval from Elissa!

"Is it what you want for your birthing day gifts?" Syal asked his oldest offspring.

Sadvia looked wistful.

"No, father, it is an unwarranted expenditure" said Kyal firmly. "If we do well, maybe H'llon will be kind enough to bring more another time. If not" he shrugged "not."

Elissa smiled at him. Kyal was so NICE!

"Besides" said Leichalle, practically, "When Master Bendarek's little queen is grown, she will mate, and there will be eggs to pass on to the worthy."

"How did SHE get three?" Indeela pointed rudely to Lusya. "She's only the kitchen skivvy."

Lusya blushed furiously; and Syal's face hardened.

"Indeela, go to your room" he said, quietly. The girl opened her mouth; but thought better of answering back, and obeyed.

"I am sorry, Lusya." Said Syal, formally. "Indeela has spent two turns fostering with a girl her own age elsewhere. She has come under unfortunate influences; which is why she is back home. I am sure you will be kind enough to forgive her rudeness, knowing that she has been unduly influenced."

Lusya gulped and nodded, the bright spots of colour on her cheeks fading.

"I am sure she will learn true values here, sir" she said. "Sadvia and Kyal are two people we all feel well worthy of respect."

Sadvia chuckled.

"We were fostered out for nearly three months, but we didn't like what we found" she said. "So we made ourselves so obnoxious we were asked to leave."

"Yes, and then we persuaded father that it was apprenticeships we needed for the discipline" grinned Kyal.

"That explains a lot" said their father. "I wondered how my two supposed hellions suddenly got exemplary reports!"

When she returned to the craftstall that afternoon, Elissa was delighted to find that all her turned jars had sold, and she was in funds again!

"It was a marksman took them." Said the journeyman holding the stall. "He'll get a fine profit. He asked about making a private deal with you."

Elissa grunted.

"I don't think Master Gerney'd think much of that" she said, paying back the percentage the Crafthall asked. "For he'll sell them as journeyman made, and if the Crafthall doesn't get its percentage there's a kind of dishonesty in it."

"You're right." Gerney had come up behind her. "Nessan, I hope you didn't agree."

Journeyman Nessan looked uncomfortable.

"I said I'd ask" he said.

"Was he a tall, greasy looking man with long lank dark hair and a mole?" asked the master. Nessan looked surprised.

"Yes, sir!"

"He's not to be trusted overmuch. He was a Crafthall marksman once – but he tried to get apprentices to sell him work they'd skimped on where, in his words, it 'didn't show' to get better profit. If he comes back, tell him that if I catch him hanging around my apprentice, I'll kick him from here to Benden!" he concluded forcefully.

Elissa gazed on him with wide eyed approval!

Gerney smiled grimly at her.

"Yes, child, I was a senior apprentice at the time; and he tried to persuade me to do shoddy work. He resorted to veiled threats too."

"What did you do?" Elissa was curious.

"I punched his nose and reported to Bendarek. HOW it bled!" he reminisced. His expression changed, looking wary. "Step back, child. Dragonfolk."

Elissa looked around. A couple of young men with cords for Blue and Green riders intertwined with Benden's red in the intricate triangular knots had come to view the stall. Though she had never considered dragonriders to be people in need to be wary of, her master's attitude alerted her to the stories she had heard of riders from other weyrs than High Reaches showing arrogance to commons. These two seemed very taken with Elissa's dragon design on her box – until they found the box contained sewing kit!

"This has been carved by someone who has really observed dragons" said the Blue Rider. "He's a lot better than a lot of your carvers – in accuracy if not always in execution."

"Well, sirs, the apprentice concerned is right here, if you want to talk to her." Volunteered Nessan. The young men turned to stare at Elissa and her firelizards. She surreptitiously grasped Master Gerney's sleeve to prevent him from going away for he would surely know Benden customs better than she!

"Nice work" said the Blue Rider. His companion stared intently, a little unfocused.

"Have you ever thought of trying for Impression?" he asked. "You obviously love dragons – and firelizards seem to love you."

Elissa shook her head.

"No, sirs, I preferred to leave the weyr to study at the Woodcrafter Hall." She said firmly. After all, her weyrbred status would come out sooner or later – especially if they started asking questions about her firelizards. She went on, "Being weyrbred, I've had the opportunity to study dragons close hand; and I've run errands enough for the dragonhealer that I understand their anatomy."

"Left the weyr for a Crafthall? Why? Are you so unnerved by Thread?" gasped the Blue Rider.

Elissa looked down her nose.

"I am no more afraid of Thread than any sane person. I've been walking sweep any time this last four turns, and I guess I'm fairly used to the wretched stuff. No sirs, it's just that a dragon takes up so much time: she'd interfere with my work because I'd have – I'd WANT – to put her first. I'm too involved in my craft for that. No offence, I hope." She added hastily.

The two riders exchanged looks which clearly suggested that they thought her touched in the upper works; but the blue rider asked,

"As you ARE so involved in your craft, could you carve a box like that but lined with baize for cards, not sewing stuff?"

"Certainly I could, Blue Rider, if my masters permit it. Or, if you wanted, I could do a traditional pattern on the lid of dragons passing each way and print a matching set of blanks for an artist to finish. The best artist I know is Weyrartist Geriana at High Reaches" she added.

They exchanged glances.

"Just one like this for now" said the Blue Rider. "But if you have time to make the other too, I'll be able to have it from you in – oh, about a couple of months." He grinned. "After I collect on some gambling debts. How much would they be?"

Elissa looked queryingly at Gerney.

"The child will take a mark and a half for the box and printed blanks" said the Master, firmly. "The plain baize lined box will be a full mark like the sewing box for the trouble of stretching the baize."

"Done." Said the Blue Rider, shaking hands with her solemnly, and – she felt – a little patronizingly. "When do I collect the first?"

"I will require two sevendays of spare time" said Elissa firmly. He nodded; and ruffled her hair as he passed on. Elissa scowled at his back for that!

"You're used to more respect in your own right in your own Weyr, I suspect" said Gerney dryly.

She pulled a face.

"They were rather patronising" she admitted. "But I've been warned it can be so elsewhere than High Reaches."

Gerney smiled thinly.

"Now do you see why Master Bendarek did not consult the Weyr about the Thread incidents?" he asked. She nodded.

"You know, girl" he said "You've crumpled my sleeve clinging to me like you were drowning."

"I'm sorry!" she said, contrite.

"Did you feel the need for protection?" he asked, half laughing. She coloured.

"Well….since you ask, yes." She confessed. "Some riders take too much for granted."

"Still, Benden is not Southern. They demand respect, but there is no need to fear."

She wrinkled her nose.

"But everyone still treats them circumspectly – it seems to go beyond simple respect. You yourself" she put in shrewdly "deemed it necessary to warn me to stand aside."

"Surely it is so everywhere? Is it not the same at High Reaches?"

"Master, our most formal Bronze Rider is H'llon."

He gave a rare smile.

"Ah. I see what you mean."

With Master Isimy's approval, Elissa bought wood and made a box for the dragonriders. She also continued working on her letters and her herbs; and used soapstone to cut fine work like punctuation marks that would see harder wear. To her delight, the soapstone carved beautifully, both under her chisel and on the lathe as boxes.

Gerney was pleased with her work.

"After that Rider has been, you'd better go up to the mine and get some further samples." He told her. "I think you'd better take a lad with you too." He added.

Elissa nodded.

"It would be safer" she concurred. "And they might not take a girl seriously anyway. I wonder if I should take Kyal? I know Alaran's more my colleague, but Kyal is taller and older. And he is good at sounding authoritative."

Gerney raised an eyebrow.

"He's also good looking and well connected" he murmured. Elissa shrugged.

"I suppose so. Perhaps that's what gives him self confidence" she said analytically.

The Blue Rider duly turned up; and professed himself to be delighted. Elissa promised to start work on the other box, and counted out the eighth of her three quarter mark for Master Isimy.

"What's that for, Elissa?" he boomed.

"The Crafthall's percentage, sir." she said.

He pushed the wooden markers back into her hand and gently closed her fingers round them.

"That's only for when we have a stall, m'dear" he explained. "To account for the skill of those selling. If you get your own client, and buy your materials fair and square, and I've passed the work – or whichever master is appropriate – you can do with it as you like. And, indeed, ask what price you like – so long as you declare it prentice made."

She frowned.

"So technically it would not have been against the rules to sell direct to the marksman Master Gerney warned me about. Only it felt immoral, for I knew he'd not declare who'd made the goods."

"Such is not forbidden. But your moral sense is in keeping with the ideals of most of us." He beamed happily at her, patting her approvingly on the shoulder.

Elissa was pleased she had done the right thing; something had made her instinctively dislike the proposed deal, even without meeting the marksman. And Gerney's reaction at the time had confirmed those instincts!

Elissa thought over the idea of asking Kyal to accompany her on her on her trip; and on due consideration rejected him in favour of approaching H'llon's uncle Arkis instead.

"I know it's a little cheeky of me to ask a favour of a journeyman" she began "But I'm presuming on our honorary relationship."

"Ask away!" said Arkis, amused.

"I need to go to the minehold to buy soapstone – and I could do with an escort. You're big and intimidating; and you'd not let anyone cheat me either."

Arkis grinned.

"Next best thing to H'llon, huh?" he chuckled. "Well, for family, anything. I'll take up a few pieces to trade too – might as well. Little boxes and bowls and spoons and so on. Things that often need replacing."

Elissa smiled.

"I'm glad you can do that. I'd not like to interfere in your livelihood."

"Tush! Besides, a bit of variation is good for one!" he said, airily.

Gerney raised an eyebrow at Elissa's choice of escort.

"Changed your mind?" he asked. She nodded.

"I thought it was better to keep it all in the family as it were. Besides, there's something comfortably solid about Arkis." She said.

"She's kind enough not to suggest that's from the neck up!" laughed the red-haired journeyman, "C'mon little cousin – if we push this stubborn beast we should get all the way before Threadfall." He tweaked her nose familiarly as he nodded to the pack beast; and Elissa stuck her tongue out. She felt quite comfortable with Arkis.

Gerney grunted.

"Remember there's a cot hold nearer. Don't take risks" he admonished.

Gerney supposed that it would not be unreasonable for the girl to end up marrying Arkis. She admired H'llon of course, and he and Arkis had been close as boys. She was also good at free carving, which gave her a bond with the journeyman.

Of course, she might just as easily end up being flattered by Kyal. He was not only a member of the Blood but was also good looking and talented. Most young women would see him as a major catch – especially if able to enter into his interest in woodworking. Gerney snorted. Either way, marriage would be a waste for one of Elissa's talent, assuming she gave up her craft as most married craftswomen did. They preferred to give their time to rearing brats. And if she were a Holder's wife she'd be trammelled by convention. Gerney felt that it was a waste of talent for proven craftswomen not to foster their children – and the fault so often lay at the door of stupid husbands making their wives sacrifice their craft for domesticity. Afraid, perhaps, that their wife might prove more talented. As if that mattered! He snorted again and busied himself in the lathe shop.

Arkis was a good companion on a journey. His unfailing good humour and fund of stories about his and H'llon's – allegedly – misspent youth kept her laughing out loud, and compressed the miles. The runner beast plodded solemnly on up the valley, its gait economical. Elissa was fit, and they made good time; passing the cot hold late in the afternoon of the second day.

"Push on?" asked Arkis. Elissa nodded. Signs of the minehold could be seen above, only a few hours away. It seemed foolish to waste time sitting out Threadfall imposing themselves on a family used to solitude when they could do business during the enforced stop instead. They stopped briefly at the cot for a rest and to drink at the well; and Arkis dickered cheerfully with the goodwife for some bowls and spoons. He accepted part payment in a meal, a thick stew of ovine meat padded out with legumes and tubers, well seasoned with herbs. The family were generally uncommunicative; but it suited the travellers, who wanted to reach the minehold by nightfall.

The miners were pleased to have company.

"There's only so many stories you can tell, hunkered down here for Threadfall!" declared the senior journeyman. "Of course we work through it to some extent, but you know how it is. Feeling uneasy can make a man make mistakes, so we only consolidate. Bit of trading will make a change, and perhaps you can jolly up the women and kids with some new tales!"

Arkis and Elissa were happy to agree; the appointed harper was a lugubrious man of uncertain age who did not have the kind of demeanour that suggested that 'jolly' ever entered his lexicon. Arkis dredged up stories of apprentice pranks; and Elissa told tales of T'lana and the logicators.

"If you can solve mysteries, se if you can throw some light on this one." Said the senior journeyman, suddenly. "There's been a marksman up here; and I swear he's been stealing gems, for some always go missing. Yet every time he's been searched – and we've been thorough – he's been clean. Can you explain that?"

"He's not by any chance tall and greasy looking with dark, lank hair and a mole, is he?" asked Elissa.

The man looked at her with superstitious awe.

"Be your lizards reading my mind?" he asked.

She laughed, shaking her head.

"No – only we've had trouble with one of that description at the Crafthall. Tell me, are your gems mostly garnets?"

"Arr, that's what we find here."

"And does he have a passion for spruce gum chews?" Elissa remembered seeing a discarded chew near the woodcrafter stall at the gather; and had had a sudden idea.

"Now you mention it, he was always chawing away."

"Next time he comes, make him open his mouth and check the gum. And crack open any he's already chewed on that's re-hardened. Garnets are about the same colour as spruce resin; and he could chew until it was soft to pinch them into – and let it harden round them."

The Journeyman was impressed!

"By the First Egg! That's plum clever! Thanks, little lady – we'll try that one! He'll never know what hit him!" he chuckled. "For I'm sure you have the rights of it!"

The miners were so pleased that the senior journeyman proposed a special price for Elissa's samples. She protested; for she might be wrong. But he was so certain of the truth of her deduction; and as he pointed out, catching a thief would save them much more than discounting her!

"Well – I guess you can charge me more next time if I was wrong." Elissa reluctantly agreed.

"What be you going to use these samples for anyway?" asked the journeyman curiously.

"I'm going to carve them like wood." She said. "To make boxes and things."

"Bring the finished product back to show us, huh?" he requested; and Elissa nodded cheerfully.

"Be sure and not reveal craft secrets by being enthusiastic." Murmured Arkis. "If we don't keep the skills specific to us, we lose our livelihood."

She nodded acknowledgment.

Elissa was eager to show her different coloured samples to Master Gerney. He looked them over with interest, but there was a touch of acid in his tone when he asked,

"Did you enjoy the trip, apprentice Elissa?"

Elissa looked surprised.

"Yes, Master, I believe I did. It made a change, though I've been chafing to get back to work all the way home. Arkis is quite fun to travel with."

"Indeed?"

"Yes, I know a whole lot more about H'llon that I can cast up at him when he's being pompous." She grinned.

Gerney gave her a sharp look.

"H'llon. My good girl, are you carrying a torch for that boy?"

Elissa roared with laughter.

"Not at all. He's like a big brother to me. But I AM very fond of him, and I love to tease him. Besides I like Zaira – who I bet is his weyrmate by now – and she'll like to know too."

"You're just nosy, then."

She twinkled wickedly.

"Oh yes. Totally. I like knowing things. Like..like people getting stuck on top of a crag overnight because he could chimney up to the lone walnut tree and couldn't get down." She caught his eye. He started, and glared at her.

"Who told you that? It couldn't be Arkis, he's too young."

"Sorry, Master, I promised not to tell." She grinned unrepentantly.

"You young minx! Who else knows?"

"Well, I've not told anyone if that's what you mean. But I cannot accurately answer your question sir, since not knowing, can't say."

He grunted.

"You are a pernicious brat."

"Yes Master Gerney. You've said so before" she grinned. She looked up into his eyes, laughing with her own; and for a moment his eyes smiled back. Then he grunted again.

"You'd better get on with some work, girl" he said, turning away. "You've plenty to catch up on, gallivanting off for five days."

She chuckled; and turned to her lathe.

70


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Sadvia looked at Elissa as the younger girl came into the girls' area and sighed.

"What DO you look like?" she said.

Elissa was taken aback.

"Like any other apprentice, I should imagine" she said, huffily.

"EXACTLY!" complained Sadvia. "But you're not a boy, you're a girl. You've got decent curves beneath that sloppy thing you wear. And you could make a bit more of yourself than just stuffing your hair back in a bit of binder twine."

"What for? Anyway, I need to tie my hair back, else it'd get in the lathe."

Sadvia sighed.

"Don't you ever think of anything but turning?"

Elissa frowned thoughtfully.

"Yes – parquetry and carving. Dyeing and staining. And firelizards of course" she said, a soppy expression spreading across her face as she thought of her little pets.

Sadvia threw up her hands.

"In a turn or two you could be getting married! Don't you want to have fun flirting and being told you're attractive first?"

Elissa looked puzzled.

"But it wouldn't be fun. And I'm no beauty, so I'd despise anyone who told lies in the hopes of a quick tumble with anything female. Even if I was pretty, I'd not want to marry any fool who picked me purely on looks anyway. I'd want him to respect me for my craft."

"Elissa, you're HOPELESS! You can be attractive as well as clever – they're not exclusive, you know! Then Kyal would see you as more than just one of the boys!"

"Kyal? What's he got to do with it?" Elissa was yet more nonplussed. Sadvia coloured and laughed self consciously.

"I thought it would be nice if you were my sister" she confessed. "And Kyal likes you. But he needs a nudge to see you as a woman."

Elissa made an indelicate noise. Sadvia looked hurt.

"I thought you LIKED Kyal." She said.

"I do – as a friend. I don't think about him in that way. I appreciate that you'd like me as a sister – but I'd rather just remain a friend. Of both of you."

"Aw, shards. It was a nice idea too. Still" Sadvia brightened "You might change your mind. Meanwhile is there anyone you DO think about in that way?"

Elissa flushed.

"No." she muttered.

"Yes you do – you do!" Sadvia laughed, pointing at her playfully. "Tell do – who is it?"

"This is foolishness" said Elissa, exasperated.

"Now stop doing Master Gerney impressions! Elissa, I'm going to sort you out and do your hair and find you a pretty tunic. Pink, of course, to go with brown hair; and matching hair ribbons."

Elissa gave in with a sigh; it was easier.

After a night spent tossing on curl rags, she had changed her mind; but submitted to Sadvia's brushing and primping though every curl hurt as the brush snagged in it. Sadvia threaded a ribbon through and helped Elissa into a lacy pink tunic with puffed sleeves.

Elissa arrived at her turning class scowling. Alaran blinked.

"Whatever have you done with your hair, Elissa?" he asked. "It looks like it's had firelizards nesting in it."

"It FEELS like it's had firelizards nesting in it" grumbled Elissa.

Gerney took her chin and turned it up.

"You have great black circles under your eyes, girl" he declared censoriously. "What HAVE you been up to?"

"ME? It wasn't MY idea to do anything!" said Elissa indignantly. "It was Sadvia's idea. She thinks I ought to be beautified. I think I look like something puked up by a bovine."

Gerney sighed.

"Why do young women think that curls must be attractive? Your hair is meant to be straight and the curls are falling out. Your self assessment is a little over harsh, but you are right to think it does nothing for you – it looks dreadful. You can go and comb it out properly and tie it back. And what has it cost you? Your sleep. You're not fit for lathework this morning. You're too tired."

Elissa's face fell and she fought tears back at his harsh words. Gerney added more kindly,

"You can help me as I clean and service the machines. You can watch and learn while I do those things that require concentration; but I should think you could manage to brush out and oil them."

Elissa managed to flash him a quick smile and ran off to do his bidding, resolving to change the horrible tunic to a more practical one!

Elissa enjoyed helping her taciturn master; and he kept her back at the end.

"I don't mean to pry, Elissa, but was this dressing up shenanigan designed to impress anyone in particular?" he asked awkwardly. Elissa shook her head emphatically.

"The only way I want to impress people is with my skill" she told him firmly. "I'm not so shallow as to think that the way I dress or the way I do my hair matters a jot to people who are important to me! I'm clean and neat and safely dressed. Nothing else ought to matter. Sadvia, bless her, has a different upbringing; and she has this fixed idea I ought to waste my precious time making young men fall in love with me. Especially her brother" she grinned. "Daft idea. Fancy expecting me to fall for and marry someone I could bully!"

"Could you?"

"Oh! Yes. He's reasonably forceful, but I reckon I'm more so. We'd make each other truly miserable. Besides, I'm not attracted to him."

Gerney grunted approvingly.

"I'm glad you have more sensible things on your mind than dressing for young men. Now perhaps you see why I dislike taking female apprentices. And pink does not become you anyway" he added inconsequentially. She nodded.

"I figured that. But I didn't want to hurt Sadvia's feelings. And according to her it is tradition that brown haired girls wear pink so for an easy life I acquiesced. However" she gave him a roguish grin "I can now tell her you forbid me to bother with fripperies. She thinks you're grouchy anyway, so I guess she'll accept that."

"Cheeky brat that you are" he said without rancour. She grinned again, but looked thoughtful.

"Master, if I were a piece of wood, what colours would you team me with? For I'll doubtless want to dress up for Gathers at some point, and that seems a better way of deciding what colours to wear."

He studied her seriously.

"You have gold flecks in your eyes and a golden cast to your skin. But it would overdo the effect to pick gold. Maybe a creamy colour – polished wherry bone inlay. With a touch of that new, bright sky blue dye Tirris has developed. Even maybe white; or a dark reddish bronze. But I forbid you categorically to waste too much time on your appearance."

She flashed him a smile.

"Thank you."

Sadvia found out about the reaction to the beautification fiasco from Lusya, who had the tale from Alaran. Lusya was another person Sadvia would have liked to have married Kyal; but the girl just wasn't interested! Sadvia surely hoped that she would be able to find him a wife she liked; living with a sister in law who you could not get on with would be dreadful! Meanwhile, Lusya gently told her friend to let well alone so far as Elissa was concerned.

"She'll blossom when she's ready" she said. "And I guess she would look awful in pink. It'd make her seem sallow!"

"I only meant it for the best!" complained Sadvia. Lusya hugged her.

"Elissa doesn't work to other folk's rules" she pointed out shrewdly. "And I'm sure she'll manage her own love life perfectly adequately – in her own inimitable way." Lusya was a perceptive girl; and she was certain that frills and furbelows were the last thing to attract someone suitable for Elissa! Indeed, she had some hopes for acquiring the girl as a sister in law herself, and Alaran's uncomplimentary remarks about what Sadvia had done to his friend left her in no doubt about HIS views on overdressing!"

The siren for Fall paradoxically made Elissa feel a bit better. She had the horrid – if inaccurate – fear that, having let Sadvia make a fright of her, everyone was staring. A good Fall would keep people's minds where they ought to bee, and by the time it was over, they hopefully would have forgotten!

Elissa and Lusya were filling their flamethrowers together when the child stumbled into the gates. By the long dirty blonde hair, it was probably a girl; perhaps twelve turns old, clad in a dirty rag. Elissa dropped her flamer and ran forward.

"Let's get you inside!" she snapped. The child lifted a white, exhausted face.

"My sister….save my sister…"

"Where is she? Out in Fall?"

"In the cot…" and then she passed out. Lusya and Elissa exchanged quick looks.

"Let's get her to your mother" suggested Elissa. Lusya nodded; Saranna was Crafthealer as well as being H'llon's aunt and in charge of much of the kitchens.

"If her sister's in a cot, she's safe enough through Fall" Lusya said prosaically. "This one needs attention. Why she doesn't weigh anything!"

It was true; it was easy for the two girls to lift the frail figure.

Saranna exclaimed at the sight of the child, and felt her head.

"Feverish." She declared. "It looks like a serious ague to me. Help me strip her and we'll bathe her in cool water to bring the heat down."

Stripping the emaciated body brought more shocks: not merely the degree of malnourishment, but the ugly welts and weals, old and new, crossing and re-crossing the child's meagre frame.

"She's been tied cruelly – look at the lesions on her wrists. And those lines across her legs look like Threadscore!" cried Elissa.

"This must be investigated" declared Saranna. "Did she have knots?"

"Yes. Mother, but I didn't look too closely. They were very dirty" said Lusya, picking up the child's inadequate garment. Elissa bent over it.

"Woodcrafter prentice, minor or cot hold, very faded as well as dirty. Three colours, so more likely to be a cot Beholden to another Hold." The girl said automatically. "Don't let anyone take that tunic to wash, Lusya. There might be more clues in it, for if I'm not mistaken she'll not be conscious for a goodly while. If indeed ever" she added grimly, for Saranna's expression was serious. "I must join sweep; we'll put the whole team on it later."

Gerney turned and scowled as Elissa ran up late; but the scowl dissipated at the tears running unbidden and unheeded down her cheeks.

"Bad news from home?" he asked in sympathy. She shook her head.

"I'll tell you after…I'll have to concentrate now. And that's good" she added cryptically.

Her master took her firmly into the workshop after Fall and made klah, pulling up two stools. She ignored hers and dropped instead to sit on the floor beside him. Sweat, tears and soot mingled on her face, smeared where she had rubbed it with the back of her hand.

"I never saw such brutality!" she started: then pulled a face. "I'd better begin at the beginning. A child arrived as Fall was about to start…with woodcraft apprentice knots. Beaten badly, and I mean really badly. So skinny – starving, in fact. And, Gerney, horizontal lines of Threadscore on her legs – as though someone had held her outside! More than once, for they crossed. That can't be accidental!"

Her eyes filled again; she was trembling.

Gerney put an arm around her narrow shoulders, ignoring her impropriety in addressing him by name; and she leaned on his knees sobbing.

"This must be dealt with you know" he said quietly. "Mistreating a woodcraft apprentice is our business; the more so if it's her master who is doing it."

Elissa hiccoughed and nodded, backhanding her eyes.

"Go bathe, Elissa" he said. "Then we'll see what your logicators can really do. I'll oversee it. I'm going to Bendarek – as soon as I've spoken to Saranna."

Most of the logicators looked nervous around a table with Master Gerney presiding. Alaran was an exception, of course; but Sadvia was definitely edgy. Gerney had scowled at her and requested her – admittedly politely enough – not to muck with his apprentices in future. Elissa and Lusya were both rather puffy eyed; they had tended to the girl.

"Very well." Said Gerney. "I suggest that Elissa take the chair as she is the most experienced in these matters. It is my contention that in view of our lack of formal craft, we consider her journeyman logicator."

Alaran nodded solemnly; some of the others looked surprised.

Elissa stood up: and succinctly outlined what had happened. There were gasps of shock and outrage. Elissa held up a hand.

"We must suppress our personal feelings for now, because indignation can only destroy logic." She said coldly. "If anyone can't handle that, you'd better leave now."

"We'll handle it." Said Leichalle. "We can do incandescent fury after the culprit is caught."

Elissa nodded.

"Good. Lusya, the medical report. Anything to add?"

Lusya ran her eyes down the list.

"Malnutrition…countless contusions, abrasions and lesions deliberately inflicted – I've done a drawing of some marks, there's a pattern like a knotted rope end."

"Excellent work." Approved Elissa. Some of the younger boys gulped at the size of the bruises Lusya had drawn as she passed the sheet round the table. The young healer went on,

"The lesions on the wrist cover old, healed ones – she's been tied many times. These last wounds run to a point towards the hands. Does that mean she was stretched up?"

Elissa nodded.

"You get the same marks on cuts of meat that have been suspended." She said tonelessly.

Tirlo gagged.

Lusya continued.

"There are burn scars on her torso and some signs of sexual intrusion, probably with a hard artificial object. On her legs are Threadscores, apparently inflicted by pushing her legs out of a window or door."

This was too much for Sadvia and Tirlo; they belted for the necessary.

"Artificial object?" queried Elissa. "Why an artificial object? If the swine wanted to rape her, why not use his own tackle?"

"Impotent?" suggested Lusya.

Gerney cleared his throat and blushed furiously.

"I have heard of, um, women who prefer women. And, um, some of them have unnatural desires for children in the er, same way, um, some men have unnatural desires for children. If they also like to hurt, it seems…" he tailed of, flushing more deeply.

Elissa stared in horror.

"Well! That just takes the biscuit!" she said. "So we might be looking for a woman – not a man. I've never come across that one!" she added candidly. "Though I guess it stands to reason that if you have homosexual men, there should also be homosexual women."

There were a few nervous titters at her matter of fact weyrbred acceptance; and Kyal whispered behind his hand to Leichalle,

"I never knew old Gerney had even heard of sex!"

Elissa caught the comment and scowled at him. Kyal had the grace to look uncomfortable. She brought order from the uncomfortable mutters and titters by banging on the table.

"Very well. Let us look at the tunic" she pushed the proceedings on. "It's homespun and very rough. We need Sadvia to give us an opinion on the fibres."

Sadvia emerged from the necessary on hearing her name, rather pale; and when Elissa put her request approached the filthy rag with some distaste.

Carefully teasing out some of the fibres at the unfinished base she scrutinised and felt them carefully.

"There's wool in it – poor quality" she said. "No cotton. I'd say the greater part was made of hemp and sisal" she decided.

"Hmm." Elissa said. "Let's assume it's made of materials local to her – I hate to call it home – place of residence. Wool implies ovines. Is it ovine wool?"

"I think not totally. May be part caprine."

"Hardy beasts then – or poor pasture. Could be mountainous. Then there's hemp and sisal. They're much the same, closely related. They grow pretty much anywhere, though they like flat plains best. I'm doubtful that the child could have crossed mountains to reach us, so I'm thinking the site could be a small valley running into the Igen River Valley. Less good soil than the main valley but flattish. Not that that's much help, it covers too much of Lemos. But probably not actually a mountain hold."

"What can her knots tell us?" asked Gerney.

Elissa displayed the grubby, poor quality knots.

"Apprentice. Dark green for Woodcrafter, a bought in dye I'd say, for it's not faded. The other strand is twisted from three and the colours are a little, well, indeterminate." She pulled a face. "There looks to be blue and – under the grime – white indicating Lemos is the parent Hold. The third is a kind of pink. The Minerhold is black to show craft affiliation. It's my guess this pink is faded from one of a number of reds, darker pink or purple."

"What about tan?" asked Kyal.

"Possible" concurred Elissa. "Very possible. Is that a general suggestion, or has something occurred to you?"

"Something occurred" he said. "Sadvia and I have learned, of course, all the local colours – and south of the minehold there's a loose affiliation of cotholds. It spreads over dozens of square lengths, sprawling up the valley, and each cotholder grows their own crops and runs ovines and caprines. Hemps grow in the stream valley. Their colour is tan."

"Excellent" nodded Elissa. "That just narrowed down our area of search. The child asked us to rescue her sister. Said she was in the cot. Presumably she is still undergoing ill treatment, so speed becomes paramount. Boys and girls, I think it's time to saddle up and move out. Any questions or comments?"

"Yes." Said Gerney. "We're not taking most of these children into a potentially dangerous situation."

"But sir – most of us are as old as Elissa!" protested Teerel. Gerney gave him a Look; and he subsided. The master went on,

"Sadvia, Kyal – you will represent Lord Asgenar's interests" he decided. "And Sadvia can help comfort any girl children. Lusya, you have medical training. You should come" he paused. Elissa caught his eye and held it. He made up his mind. "And it would be grossly unfair not to take the chief logicator" he acknowledged.

Kyal grinned irrepressively.

"We'll be outnumbered by females. Sir!" he pointed out.

"Herrrrrrmmm!" said Gerney.

"Are we going to ask H'llon for a lift, sir?" asked Elissa, quietly. "We know there's at least one more child. Taking an injured child several days' journey runnerback doesn't seem like a good idea."

"No – but as the other has ague, going _between_ might be as bad." Interposed Lusya.

"I reckon she caught it on the way – being weakened. Else she'd not have got to us. There was a dreadful drop in temperature a couple of nights back after a hot day. Then it rained. Not good for someone in poor health. And even so, straight flight is quicker than runnerbeast." Objected Elissa. Lusya considered; and nodded.

"I think if we call H'llon it will stay craft business." Decided Gerney. "F'lar could hardly be offended at us asking a favour of a relative."

77


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

H'llon came quickly at the request of Elissa; she sent a message to him via little brown Mellow.

"Problems?" he asked laconically.

"Yes….H'llon, we need to be discrete about calling you in on a logicating problem in case it offends Benden."

H'llon sniffed.

"Logicators need often to look at the ground… some of the Benden er, people, find it hard to get their noses out of the air long enough to look down" he commented.

Elissa grinned; then her face tightened again as she outlined the situation.

Leichalle's term 'incandescent fury' almost covered H'llon's reaction. He got himself under control with an effort, white faced and furious.

"Yes Elissa, you need the instant transport. The longer you hang about travelling, the worse it could be for the other kid. Do you know exactly where to go?"

Elissa shook her head.

"Only a general area. I thought we could ask who was training, or purporting to train, woodcraft apprentices."

"I've a better idea. Sniffer is really good at visualisations." He stroked his little bronze firelizard. "and he might pick out pictures from the girl's fever dreams. It's worth a shot."

Gerney and Elissa both nodded approvingly. Gerney said,

"Good lad, H'llon. Practical head on his shoulders" as Lusya led the Bronze Rider into the healing hall.

"Bronze lizards are less flighty than most" Elissa explained. "Your little Maple will be capable too."

"Hmmmph. If he ever grows out of chewing on my earlobe."

"It's a sign if affection. Nibbler does that to H'llon."

H'llon rejoined them, his face even more flinty once he had seen the child's condition for himself.

"I have something tentative" he said. "I'm loath to try to use it directly because it's too unclear; and the time keeps hopping about in her thoughts. However, I can get Sniffer to send it to those of you with lizards as a starting point when we search."

The cot visualised was not atypical; but had a lean-to wood store built of slate.

"I'll circle over and see if I can pick it out. You can all keep your eyes skinned too" said H'llon. "Alright, climb up everyone!"

Big Melth could easily accommodate five passengers; and H'llon had fitted extra straps. Both Sadvia and Kyal had been dragonback before, though only on the much smaller blues or greens; Gerney and Lusya had never had occasion to travel.

"He's BEAUTIFUL!" whispered Lusya, touching Melth's soft bronze skin.

H'llon grinned a soppy grin, love for Melth momentarily displacing thoughts of their grim mission.

"He says you have taste, cousin" he informed her. "Watch Elissa get up, then you'll see how. She can pull and I'll push."

Elissa scrambled up Melth's straps with practised ease, thanking the young Bronze for his courteously extended foreleg. She hauled up a bubbling Lusya, followed by Kyal and Sadvia; then extended a willing hand to Master Gerney.

"There's as much dignity to this as being a sack of tubers" the master grumbled as he settled behind her.

Elissa giggled.

"You're not as knobbly" she said, cheekily. "You climbed up just fine! And it has to be easier than chimneying…"

"I thought we'd agreed to forget that, you cheeky brat" he grunted as H'llon leaped expertly into the saddle in front.

Elissa tossed a smile over her shoulder; and shouted a general warning.

"Hold tight!" she admonished. "Melth goes off very fast – it's a bit teeth-jerking!"

Melth's skyward leap threw them all backwards as far as the straps allowed; and Elissa leaned comfortably back against Gerney, enjoying the flight. Then they were _between_; she heard the twins and Lusya yelp, startled, the sound suddenly cut off in the black nothingness. Three heartbeats and they were above a rural pasture. Elissa was aware of Gerney's body trembling behind her and turned her head.

"Cold, isn't it?" she remarked. "Nothing ever prepares you for it. I'm sorry, maybe I should have warned you to wear an extra jacket. But you'll soon warm up when we land."

"Yes. Indeed" he spoke stiffly, through clenched teeth. "It is, however, most exhilarating. Most exhilarating. And, um, stimulating" he looked around, fascinated beyond any bodily sensations or discomfort.

"OH! I love it!" cried Lusya. "Cousin H'llon, please take me on another trip some time – anywhere!"

Melth backwinged and dropped to circle as H'llon called back,

"Perhaps you should come try for Impression, Lusya. We're expecting a clutch, you know."

"Oh yes! Please! Even if I don't Impress, it would be wonderful to visit!" cried Lusya enthusiastically.

"I hate to interrupt with business" said Gerney, regretfully, "But would that be it?" he pointed to a cot tucked back from the stream, with a slate outbuilding against it.

"Could be. Looks enough like." H'llon called, his voice grim again. "Let's go down see."

Elissa looked at the squat building, and felt it had a brooding look. She told herself that it was merely her imagination that gave her a feeling of chill as she slid off Melth's shoulder weyrlings style, more in haste than grace. But she headed purposefully for the woodstore in any case.

A girl some turns younger than their patient was tied to a ring inside the doorway. The rope was too short to permit her to sit or lie; a baulk of timber above her head prevented her from standing. Her own soil stained her legs. Elissa, lips compressed, cut the rope with her belt knife and Gerney caught the child as she fell. Feeling how cold her skin was, he quickly took off his jacket to wrap her half naked body.

"Sadvia" he said "Stay with her. She will have pins and needles as her limbs return to feeling. You will have to rub her legs and hands."

Sadvia gulped and nodded; and loosened her own belt knife as well, a grimly protective look on her face.

"My cousin's going to be furious that anyone under his Hold can be so ill-treated!" she said.

"Aye, and Bendarek too" added Gerney. He and H'llon headed purposefully for the cot door; and it was a moot point whose boot crashed it in.

A frightened looking girl stirred something on the fire; another, naked, swept sawdust by the simple pole lathe worked by the fat woman whose bulk and presence dominated the cot. She had the sort of face that should have been jolly; but something made it frightening and threatening instead. She stared for a moment open-mouthed. Then she laughed. It sounded like a saw with bent teeth.

"Why, little lovelorn Gerney! Come to look up an old flame?"

Gerney changed colour several times.

"Sandrina. When the child reached us, I wondered if it were you. It has the mark of what you were expelled for. Your sick mind at least has not changed, though I'd have been hard put to recognise you now."

Her eyes flashed anger at his words; but she shrugged.

"You mealy mouthed prigs couldn't take away my skills. And I managed to make a simple lathe. It may not be as fancy as your cog-turned wheels but it works well enough. Do you still specialise in lathe?"

"I do" he said grimly. "Not that it's of any moment to you. You're coming back to the Woodcrafter Hall to stand trial before Bendarek."

"I think not. You see, I think you're still a sentimentalist."

She grabbed the child at her feet by the hair, and held her razor sharp chisel at the girl's throat.

"You wouldn't dare" said Gerney.

"Try me."

Elissa slipped away. She was fairly certain that the woman had not noticed the youngsters past H'llon and Gerney; and beckoning to Kyal she slipped to the other side of the cot.

"Boost me in the window, Kyal." she commanded. He did so; and with a minimum of scrambling she found herself in a bedroom. A ladder led up to what must be a loft; presumably the little girls slept up there. Elissa picked up a poker from the bedroom fireplace and with infinite pains opened the door she had seen behind Sandrina. She winked outrageously at Gerney and H'llon and mouthed 'keep her talking!'

Gerney asked

"Which one of these is the sister of the one who ran away?"

Sandrina shrugged again. Elissa wrinkled her nose as the excess flesh at the top of her arms wobbled. The woman said,

"I tied her in the woodshed because she wouldn't tell me where the little slut had gone. She's still alive, I think. Last one I had to do that to died in just a couple of days."

Gerney blinked.

"But where do you get them from? How do you get away with it?"

She sniffed.

"Cot holders don't want girl children anyway. They're happy to give them up as apprentices. If they ask awkward questions, I tell them their brat has gone on to the Crafthall. Now take your young relative and get out."

H'llon found his voice.

"His relative witnesses. As Bronze Rider" he said coldly. "Now, Elissa."

Elissa brought the poker down hard on Sandrina's neck before she could press the chisel home. The child, released as Sandrina fell heavily, scrambled into a corner and cowered.

Elissa stared down at the recumbent form, a look of horrified surprise on her elfin features.

"I think I killed her" she said in a tone of disbelief. "I heard something snap, and her head shouldn't be at that angle, should it?"

H'llon came swiftly over.

"Well – I guess that may solve things all round" he said philosophically, patting Elissa on the shoulder.

"Yes – but the child has to live with it though!" Gerney rounded on him with barely suppressed fury.

H'llon shrugged.

"It's not going to be easy. But at least she has the comfort of knowing that a menace like this won't be hurting anyone else because our master or Lord Asgenar can't think of anything better to do with her than make her holdless to live as a renegade and carry on her filthy habits. Elissa is weyrbred; and weyrfolk are trained to protect. And she's a practical girl. Aren't you Elissa?"

It was a long speech for the normally reticent H'llon; the practice of shifting the responsibility for criminals by making them holdless angered him, as Elissa well knew. She nodded to his question.

"Yes, H'llon; but I'm going to be sick anyway" she told him, and promptly suited her actions to her words.

Gerney went over to her and put a protective arm around her shoulders.

"It should have been the task of one of us men. Not you" he said.

"You'd not have fitted through the window" commented Elissa prosaically. "Besides, she was having such fun baiting you, she didn't hear me. And it's not like killing someone who has a dragon to suicide. She was evil. And a rotten turner" she added, looking at the piled bowls in disgust. Then with a sob she cast herself on her master's chest and howled.

Lusya hustled the two girls up to the loft to get blankets and clothes; and finding their own to be insufficient, raided Sandrina's clothes press.

"They need immediate medical attention" she told H'llon. "You will have to take them, and the other in the shed, with me directly to the Healer Hall. When they are better will be time enough to decide their future."

"Yes ma'am" H'llon saluted her gravely; and she looked askance at him, uncertain whether he was teasing or serious! As it happened, H'llon was serious; he accepted Lusya's greater expertise in the field of healercraft and treated her therefore as he would Calla!

While Lusya, Sadvia and Elissa were getting the little girls bundled up ready for a trip _between_, a Green dragon landed near Melth; and a young man strode over.

"Pardon me, Bronze Rider – but I don't recognise you" his tone was respectful enough, but his demeanour seemed faintly hostile.

H'llon nodded to him.

"Green Rider. I am H'llon of High Reaches; but as my knots will tell you, I am also Journeyman woodcrafter. I am here providing transport as a favour to some of my relatives on Woodcrafter Hall business. I am not interfering in Benden's business."

"A big favour to call out a Bronze Rider" the young man tittered angrily. "And not polite of the Crafthall to call in riders from outside without consulting Asgenar."

H'llon looked at him coldly.

"LORD Asgenar has representatives along. Now, have you any more impudent questions or comments to make, Green Rider? For if the questions were your Weyrleader's, you'd have said. And I am always happy to answer any questions put by F'lar of Benden, should he concern himself with crafter business."

The rider flushed.

"I will tell F'lar I met you, H'llon of High Reaches!" he said shrilly. "And how far you were from home on some – mysterious – craft business!"

"Why not do that." Said H'llon, affably. "And while you're at it, tell him that I threatened you that if you did not report a full and accurate account I would thrust your teeth so far down your throat you'd be eating from your backside!" H'llon was feeling violent after all he had witnessed; and laid back as he usually was, the attitude of this officious little puppy got his goat!

As the self important youngster flung himself onto his dragon and took off, Elissa peered over the windowsill and managed a chuckle.

"He's very good, when someone really sets him off, isn't he?" she commented to Gerney.

"It is a relief that we had a senior weyrmember with us" the master commented dryly. "Now if he can come down off his high Bronze, he can help me bury the body."

"By the mounds there, she's buried a few herself." Said Elissa grimly. "They really should be investigated. And if, as I suspect, there are children in them, I'm not in the least bit sorry to have killed her. Indeed, it is probably meet that she should have met her end at the hands of a young girl." She stroked her two firelizards, whose whirling eyes were settling as she got control of her own agitation.

"You're an extraordinary girl" Gerney said. "I suppose I should tell you about the woman Sandrina."

She shrugged.

"Not if you don't want to. I can make some guesses from the direction of the conversation, but it's not my business."

"Guesses?" he seemed interested in what she had surmised; so Elissa told him,

"I presume she was a lathe enthusiast. It attracted you. She'd almost have to have been prettier a few turns ago. Maybe you saw that she wasn't very good, but you were young and enthusiastic and thought she'd improve. You fell in love with what you thought she was. She didn't want you; her tastes ran in another direction. She was caught hurting a younger apprentice and was thrown out. Perhaps it was you that caught her. I know that some homosexuals sneer at women, maybe she sneered at you as a man, the more because her brand of spite saw you as vulnerable. I guess you've always been a bit shy with women – like H'llon – and it confirmed for you that women are a bad thing to have in a Crafthall. Does it run something like that?"

He stared at his feet.

"More or less" he admitted. "But she's not normal. You are right – I should not be prejudiced against female apprentices because of her."

"No; but you are right too. A lot of young girls seem to be flighty and ridiculous creations" said Elissa. "I think boys and girls actually think in different ways. Which leads to women having no trouble running cots and there are lots of bachelor jokes; and why there are more men in crafts than women."

"I'll ask you not to spread this around or cast up the folly of my youth at me" he asked tightly. She looked surprised.

"Why ever should I? I only tease you about the chimney incident because it's funny."

"Not at the time it wasn't."

"But did you get the wood?"

"Of course."

"Then it was worth it."

He laughed ruefully.

"Unlimber that lathe" he directed her. "It may be a primitive way of turning the wood, but we may as well not waste the build. It'll do for large work and training on."

"There's a kind of beauty to it, actually" said Elissa. "Utilising the spring of the natural wood to shape other wood. And it is a lathe that any journeyman could build without need for precision parts. I'd like to build one myself for the practise."

Gerney smiled approvingly at her.

"And that is the mark of the true craftsman" he said.

Back at the Woodcrafter Hall, they reported fully to Bendarek. The Masterwoodcrafter asked H'llon to write out an account and sign it to prove that Elissa had acted to save the life of the child.

"Is not my word as a Bronze Rider sufficient?" asked H'llon.

"Indeed. But if the woman has relatives or adherents that try to make trouble while, say, you are fighting Thread, the document shall stand your proxy" Bendarek explained. "And also goes into our records so that in future turns a full and true history can be compiled without hearsay or gossip."

H'llon also made a full report to T'bor; and the weyrleader managed not to groan over the stoic young man getting himself involved in trouble. T'bor made an informal invitation to F'lar to come and drink wine with him; and to smooth the incident over. That it was the right of crafters to deal with irregularities within their own craft was indisputable; but the feelings of easily hurt and volatile Green Riders could so easily distort matters! As it happened, F'lar broadly agreed when T'bor gave a much bowdlerised account; and if he thought it unusual that a Bronze Rider should run errands for his craftbred family, it was his right. And as a journeyman, H'llon had closer ties to his craft than many who Impressed from a Crafthall.

After treatment at the Healer Hall, the little girls were interviewed by Master Bendarek to see if they would prefer to become proper apprentices or be returned to their homes.

The child who had been tied in the woodshed, Lianka, very much like her sister to look at though with ginger hair where her elder's was blonde, stuck her chin out determinedly.

"I want to be with Tahnee, my sister" she declared. Weak she might be from her ordeal, but her eyes were bright and full of spirit. "And I want to learn proper woodworking. I can use a lathe. Tahnee is best at free carving. When can I see her?"

"If Master Oldive gives you leave, you may return with me." Promised Bendarek. "She is very ill, though."

"If she is like to die, I should be with her" insisted the child.

Bendarek nodded. He hoped, in fact, that the younger girl's voice would help to bring Tahnee back to consciousness, and give her something to live for. He turned to the others.

"What about you two?" he asked.

"What's to go home to?" asked the older, Amula, the one who had been kept naked as punishment. Now the immediate threat of Sandrina was gone she had regained some of her spirit, though she still had a look of hopelessness in her eyes. She added "No one wants me – nor Beka – at our old homes. We've learned some woodcraft. We might as well not waste that. And I'll look after Beka if you let her come." She volunteered as the younger child snuffled unhappily.

"Thank you, Amula. Journeywoman Isrona will look after both of you, but I would be very appreciative if you could be like a sister to her." Said Bendarek. "How old are you all?"

"Tahnee and me be twelve" Amula told him. "She'll soon be Turned thirteen, I think. Beka's eleven and a half. Lianka's nearly eleven, but she already be better than Madam on the lathe."

Lianka gave a malicious little grin.

"She didn't like it above half" she said, her tone satisfied. "Nor Tahnee being better at carving than her. I guess that be why she used to punish us sometimes."

Bendarek nodded. It was in keeping with the nature of a spiteful woman like Sandrina. He was glad the girls all decided to come to the woodcrafter hall. They had been apprenticed under false pretences; but it was woodcrafter business to care for them. And it seemed from their talk as though two at least of them would fulfil the promise of potential and cover the expense of keeping them as apprentices. Assuming of course that Tahnee lived. As to the others, if they had no skill, perhaps he could arrange for them to transfer to apprenticeships in other fields, if they showed promise; or have them fostered to train as ancillary staff.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The three little girls gravitated naturally to the three bigger ones who had rescued them; and Kisra also claimed Right as H'llon's sister to befriend both of the smaller ones, Lianka and Beka. Elissa was glad to see solemn Kisra had girl friends her own age; she knew from experience that it made a difference, and felt a pang for her friend in the weyr, Serahana. Neither girl had been overburdened with femininity, and had formed a pact denying any soppiness! It seemed a little childish now, but Elissa hoped that Serahana was as happy as she was. Elissa reflected that Kisra and Lianka were also two of a kind, and also shared the bond of passion for their craft. She foresaw a strong likelihood that the pair would manage to get into all sorts of trouble, doubtless dragging poor Beka behind them!

The girls might wish to hang around their bigger rescuers; but it was Elissa who ended up being their surrogate big sister the most! Sadvia was truly affected by their plight; but found the idea of caring for little ones horrifying. She had enough (she said) of her own little sisters! As to Lusya, she did not sleep as the others did in the apprentice dormitory, and was not there to comfort children wracked with nightmares. Elissa did not mind; she had been used to helping out, as did everyone, with younger children in the weyr. And although she did not consider herself at all maternal, she did not consider comforting younger girls so much motherly as sisterly. And though she had a sister, the child was so very much younger than she that she had never found her very interesting! Having Kisra as an honorary sister was great; and as Kisra confided, the new ones had to be considered as younger than their turns, for they had been hurt and needed to be babied a little. Elissa had hugged Kisra for that remark; and told her how clever she was. Kisra shrugged.

"Stands to reason" she said.

"Only to the sensible" replied Elissa dryly.

It took close on three sevendays before Tahnee regained consciousness. Lianka had been allowed – even encouraged – to sit with her regularly; but it was deemed better for her and the other two to have some classes to keep them from brooding. The tale of their ordeal had been told to all the masters with strict instructions not to overtax them. Bendarek hoped to assimilate them gently, and indeed all seemed to be going well.

Elissa was horrified, after running an errand for Master Gerney, to come upon the child Beka sobbing uncontrollably, her whole body shaking too hard for her to be successful in her inept attempt to slit her own wrists with a rather blunt chisel.

"Whatever are you doing, child?" she asked, appalled, possessing herself firmly of the chisel.

Beka howled, and buried her face in Elissa's tunic. It was some time before the senior apprentice could get a coherent tale from the little girl; but finally Beka's howls lessened as the older girl cuddled her and gulped out her story.

"He – M-Master Batol – said if I couldn't do anything right I'd do better to slit my wrists!" she sobbed.

"DID he now." Said Elissa grimly. "Well he may be a master, but he's a very wicked man to say so. We'll go find a MUCH better master and tell him about it. You like Master Gerney, don't you?"

Beka nodded. As one of her rescuers AND a master, who had praised her ability on the lathe, Gerney approached deityhood in her world view. She let Elissa take her firmly by the hand and lead her towards Master Gerney's room, where Elissa knew he would be taking a break. She was well aware that Gerney would take a serious view of the matter; and besides, Beka had pleased her master by showing some skill on the lathe. Not perhaps so much as the highly talented Lianka; but more than most of the boys in her class! (Amula had shown no talent for lathe, though she tried to please; but Master Tirris had pronounced himself well pleased with her n his dye shop.)

Elissa knocked at Gerney's door. After a pause,

"Come!" the voice did not sound welcoming; but the closed look on Gerney's face relaxed on seeing Elissa. He looked an interrogative at the girl as he caught sight of Beka's tearstained face.

"Master, one of the other masters just told Beka that she was useless and should cut her wrists. I found her trying to do so" she said without preamble.

He found himself coming to his feet, staring in disbelief.

"Did I just hear you aright?" stunned, his voice was dangerously quiet.

She nodded, her own pallor telling its own story of her feelings.

"Yes you did. Gerney, the kiddie is used to taking orders. That old bitch had her sewn up every way to next sevenday inside her head. What the – the Red Star could have possessed him?"

With collective squawks, all the firelizards disappeared!

"Gas, ash and crackdust!" swore Elissa. "Sorry, flutterbugs."

Gradually the lizards returned as Gerney came forward to lay a comforting hand on Beka's shoulder.

"Who?" he asked, coldly; but the coldness was not for the two girls.

"Master Batol" said Elissa. "Now tell me you're surprised and I'll not believe you."

"Keep your opinions to yourself, please, Elissa. At least in front of the child."

"Sorry sir."

"Take her to Isrona and clean her up" he instructed. "Beka, you are NOT useless. You are a good girl. You believe me, don't you?"

Tremulously the little girl nodded. Gerney gave her a quick smile.

"There's my good child. Now I believe I have a date with Master Batol."

Elissa grinned wolfishly.

"What's going to happen?" whispered Beka. At least, reflected Elissa, she had enough trust to ask. She considered telling the child what she thought Gerney would do; but decided to edit her thoughts rather than frighten Beka with the idea of Master Gerney fighting.

"I expect that Master Gerney will confront Master Batol and check with the other apprentices to see if they heard what he said" she told Beka. "then he will make a report to Master Bendarek to have Batol disciplined" after, she added to herself, he's whopped the living daylights out of the cruel little piece of wher dung. Firmly she led the little girl to Isrona; and slid out as quickly as she could to make her way to the Toolmaster's workshop.

Gerney was noted for being irascible; but it took a lot to raise him to real anger. The plight of these children had done it, especially because the damage had been inflicted on them by the woman who had had something of an emotional hold on him. That the abuse should continue at the hands of a colleague, intentional or otherwise, raised his temper to volcanic pitch.

He crashed through the door as Batol was sneering at the attempts of a boy to hand sharpen a gouge.

"I'm told" said Gerney with deceptive quietness "That you suggested to the child Beka that she slit her wrists."

"He did, cousin Gerney." Said Kisra, poking her head out of a cupboard, and obviously upset enough by the incident to forget her normal careful habit of formality. "I'm in here because I said he shouldn't say such things" the blue bruise across her face testified that banishment to the cupboard had not been her only punishment. Gerney surveyed the bruise; then nodded.

"Thank you, Kisra. You may resume your seat" he said.

Batol scowled.

"Who are you to interfere in the discipline of MY class?" he asked. "And so what if I did shout at that useless brat Beka?"

"Knowing that the child had been browbeaten into accepting ANY orders? Don't you realise that she would interpret any rash and cruel suggestion of a master to be a direct order? You must realise that to order someone to kill themselves when you KNOW they automatically obey is tantamount to murder" Gerney's voice was tightly controlled.

Kisra shrieked!

"OH – OH – OH! I KNEW I should disobey and go after her!" she wailed, leaping up.

"Sit down, Kisra!" ordered Gerney. "She was prevented from killing herself by apprentice Elissa. NO thanks to you, Batol. I suggest you join me in the Grove in five minutes. You lot" he turned a fulminating stare on the youngsters "Will stay here. A journeyman will come and take over the class."

Kisra was busy whispering to one of the boys something about good ol' Elissa and good ol' Gerney; Gerney chose to ignore it, and walked out. Arkis was the first journeyman he encountered; and Gerney told him to take over the toolcare class.

"And if Batol will not leave, send Kisra to the Grove to tell me." He said. Arkis raised an eyebrow; but nodded.

Batol duly arrived; and he brought a knife. Gerney's mouth twisted in a sneer.

"You always were a coward, Batol. A coward and a bully. It was the same when you were a journeyman and I was apprentice. And I still never let you beat me. And now we are equals."

Elissa had caught up with Gerney as he issued instructions to Arkis; but kept herself out of sight and made her own quiet way up to the Grove. Her whole being burned with indignation – this coward wasn't content with picking on kids, he couldn't even fight fair!

Gerney quickly took off his tunic and wrapped it around his left arm. He held it defensively in front of him to deflect the blade and came in with short, jabbing punches, flicking at Batol's face to make him flinch back; then came in with a hard drice to the solar plexus!

Batol grunted, and dropped back; then slashed in back handed.

Gerney jumped back from the blade; but where the trajectory of the knife's point passed, red beads sprang in a line across the lathemaster's chest.

Elissa jammed her fingers in her mouth to muffle the involuntary cry that tried to escape; she knew well that any distraction in a knife fight could prove fatal. Especially for the one combatant who had no knife. Fortunately, neither combatant noticed the strangled sound that escaped. Elissa cursed silently that her own belt knife was no more than a small tool, unlikely to give gerney any advantage even were she able to pass it to him. Her master's eyes narrowed; and he leaped in again, jabbing; and with legs strengthened by treadling, kicked round behind the toolmaster's knee.

Batol went down; and Gerney was on him in an instant.

A hand slipped into Elissa's; it was Kisra's.

"I slipped out." She whispered. "Can I help?"

"Yes, love. Run for Master Bendarek. Tell him what has happened; and bring bandages back. I must stay here. If that swine manages to cheat some more and hurts Gerney, I'm going to kill him."

Kisra shot her a scared look; then nodded and ran off. Gerney had wrested the knife from Batol's hand and both men rolled on the ground like a pair of apprentices. Foul language and grunts emanated from the melee as each tried to get his hands round the other's throat. Elissa picked up a stout stick and waited grimly. She had never witnessed a serious fight before, though she had heard stories enough. The reality was terrifying. Batol was heavier than Gerney, though the latter was fitter. Batol forced Gerney down, and as the toolmaster's head lifted clear, she hit it carefully, hard enough to stun him, but avoiding the neck this time! The man went limp, and Gerney seized the opportunity to thrust him down and reach for his throat.

"No, Gerney!" cried Elissa. "Don't kill him, let Master Bendarek deal with him! There'll be trouble for you if you kill him!"

Gerney shook his head to clear the red mists of rage; and came slowly to his feet. Elissa mopped blood from his chest with her rather threadbare handkerchief, tutting gently.

Some sixth sense made her look up; and she swung Gerney round with desperate strength, reaching forward to fend off the blow aimed at his defenceless back – for her blow had been a shade too careful, and Batol had come groggily to, too close to where his knife had fallen!

Pain lanced up her arm as the knife, razor sharp from Batol's grindstone, sliced into her; and she swayed, half fainting. Everything happened very quickly then.

Bendarek had arrived; and several masters with him, including colossal Master Isimy. Batol was quickly overpowered. Gerney caught Elissa as she started to crumple, and lowered her gently to the ground, pinching the lips of the wound together.

"OOOH….it hurts!" she gasped.

"That's good. It means he's not severed any nerves" Gerney sounded calmer than he felt. "You'll turn again." He glared at Batol. "That creature has a nasty habit of trying to kill my apprentices. And if I get my hands on him…"

"NO Gerney" said Bendarek. "He is given to thoughtless cruelty and he has not been a good master. But he has been the best toolmaster we had. I shall promote a journeyman in his stead; and he can practice his craft of sharpening in an outhall. Near enough to be under my eye. And where his peculiar habits – yes, I know about your strange sexual tastes, Batol – won't disturb anyone. JOURNEYMAN Batol."

"what strange sexual tastes?" whispered Elissa, curiosity enough to push away the pain temporarily.

"No idea" said Gerney. "Stay still, girl, and don't wriggle like a lizard on heat."

His own lizards had settled on him, chirping consternation; and Mellow and Trill were buried deep in Elissa's hair!

Lusya and Saranna came over to treat Elissa. Saranna secured the wound with deft, painful stitches, then smeared it with numbweed before dressing it.

"Bed rest for the rest of the day." Lusya's mother ordered.

Elissa managed a painful smile at Gerney, a devil of mischief lurking in it.

"if this were a weyr, I guess I might ask 'whose bed'" she quipped.

"Hh'rrrrmmm" he grunted. "I should hope you'd have more sense than to risk opening that….you little minx, you're teasing me!"

Elissa grinned acquiescence. Gerney was saved from further embarrassment by Saranna's attention to the shallow cut on his chest.

Kisra handed him his tunic.

"It's a bit damaged, Master Gerney" she said regretfully.

"He'll not die of cold this time of year" said Elissa, eyes closed. "And he's got nice enough chest muscles. There's no need for him to hide his physique in shame."

"How many times do I have to tell you you're a pernicious brat?" Gerney reddened as he spoke.

"Frequently, I expect" said Elissa unrepentantly. "I feel sick."

"Quite normal reaction to shock" said Saranna unmoved. "Gerney, can you take that troublesome apprentice of yours away and persuade her to stay put?"

"Certainly, Saranna" said Gerney; and picked Elissa up. She leaned her head comfortably against his bare shoulder. He smelled of pine wood and sweat. She told him, rather woozily,

"You smell nice."

Gerney grunted.

Elissa woke in the healing hall with a now conscious Tahnee. Lianka was sitting between them; and it was plain from the look akin to hero worship that Tahnee gave Elissa, that Lianka had filled her sister in on the details of both the rescue and the fight with Batol. From what the little girl said, it was plain that Kisra had passed on what had happened!

When Lianka had left, Elissa had a frank talk with Tahnee about Sandrina's sexual iniquities; she thought the girl would open up more to her than to a grown up like Saranna. She was right. Elissa was a practical girl; and, having ascertained that Tahnee was the only one on which Sandrina had used intrusive measures, assured her that Sandrina had been sick in the head and had strange ideas.

"With a man of your choosing, when you're old enough, it'll be different" she said firmly. "For it is meant to be done so, and if you love someone it feels right. I suppose it does too for two women or two men – if they both want to."

"Have you done it?" asked Tahnee suspiciously.

"Not yet. But I know plenty who have. I'm weyrbred; so people talk about it more openly there. And so I know how people feel. And I can see that it would be" she blushed.

"You want to with someone, then, right?" Tahnee asked bluntly.

Elissa nodded.

"But he doesn't know" she said.

"Are you going to tell him?"

Elissa grinned.

"Kind of" she said. "There are ways of dealing with blind idiot men who treat you with too much respect."

"I don't really understand" said Tahnee.

"No. you're a little young. But you will; and I'll always answer any questions that you have" promised Elissa.

Elissa's wound had fortuitously missed anything vital; and though it was painful, she insisted on getting up and returning to work. Bendarek had asked her rather pithily why she had gone to the Grove to watch the fight rather than fetching him; and she had been unable to return an entirely unsatisfactory answer. Bendarek adjured her to use a little more sense in future. She sniffed and finally managed,,

"Sir, G – Master Gerney was bottling up an awful lot of anger. I thought at first it would be good for him to let off steam. Then when I found out Batol had a knife I got too scared to go!"

Bendarek sighed and buried his head in his hands.

"Why me? Wasn't one H'llon doing things for the good of people enough?"

Tahnee at least approved of Elissa leaving Master Gerney to knock the stuffing out of an abusive master; and told her so. Her naturally feisty nature was beginning to re-assert itself as she recovered; and Elissa's earthy advice helped her to come to terms with what she had suffered mentally. Tahnee had no intention of letting Sandrina spoil her life for ever, now that she knew that it was the older woman who was blamed, and it was not something she should be ashamed of. The girl's natural resilience helped her to cope with the trauma, and the fact of being the eldest and needing to help the younger three gave her confidence.

Beka of course followed both Elissa and Gerney round like a puppy when permitted; and though it was wearing, neither wanted to dent her fragile self esteem by asking her to go elsewhere. It was fortunate that she DID enjoy lathework; and Gerney arranged with Bendarek that she should stay in his workshop until she had the self confidence to try other aspects of the craft again.

The lathemaster was distinctly distant to Elissa, however, being scrupulously formal and hypercritical of her work, though he gave praise where it was due. Elissa was taken aback for all of ten minutes. Then she applied logic.

She had been rather familiar with her master lately. It had seemed so natural. And he had not seemed to mind, but rather responded to being teased. It could be that he resented her familiarity and wanted to put her back in her place; but it seemed more likely that he found himself too easily able to be easy with her, and felt it inappropriate for a master to become too close to an apprentice even if – or perhaps because – he liked that apprentice. R'gar was notoriously tougher on his favourite weyrlings. And look at how he'd behaved when he was falling for T'lana. Elissa knew the story well from tales told by other logicators.

Everything made sense; so she greeted his taciturn comments with beaming smiles that disconcerted him.

Elissa was by no means as innocent as a holdbred or craftbred girl her age might be. She even found herself laughing privately at some of the speculative conversations she had overheard between Lusya and Sadvia. And it really was time to start taking steps. As she had told Tahnee, there were more ways of showing a blind, idiot man that you were interested in him than telling him point blank! Elissa sighed. Of course, it might come down to that; but on the other hand he was pretty perceptive really!

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	12. Chapter 12

_A/N I just discovered that a whole pile of chapter 7 got eaten somewhere in my computer; i apologise. I just spent the evening re-writing it from my hard copy, and I'd like to thank my husband for reading it out so i could copytype faster. about half of it was missing. it includes what happened about Jivana. Sorry again!_

**Chapter 12**

The Autumnal Gather was imminent; and Elissa had planned to buy more than just stone this time. She had made some exquisite stone jars that Gerney had stamped, and she knew she would get a good price for them. There was a small weaver hall within the local hold; and on a holiday, she visited the dye house to make certain requests. While she was there she noticed that the weaver hall had a bolt of silk such as she had planned to purchase at the Gather; and negotiated quickly, requesting credit. For there would be dancing in the evening at the Gather; and she could put her plans into action sooner that she thought. For the silk and the dyeing job she offered a pestle and mortar in part exchange; and the deal was agreed.

Elissa started disappearing in the evenings to experiment with arranging her hair; she had no desire to have any more 'helpful' advice such as Sadvia had given her! She settled for a style that lifted it off her face, pulled softly back to reveal her neat ears. Half she plaited and pinned on top of her head; the rest fell from the centre, and she laid it over one shoulder to soften the severe line and accentuate her slender neck. She continued her evening excursions when the silk was dyed; but she begged Lusya's aid as she laboured over making a dress. It was severely tailored to fit her exactly to the hips, then flared out, the silk plain ivory at the top and graduating though countless layers of the same dye to build up a gradation to rich gold at the hem. The sleeves too graduated, and were cut very full at the bottom, caught into a tight cuff; at the shoulders, small, barely padded shoulder wings added a contrast in rich, bright blue, matching the lacing of the bodice. A blue leather hip belt fastened with an intricate but delicate brass buckle completed the ensemble; the effect, rich but simple, suited her reed slender figure to perfection. Elissa scorned cosmetics; her lips were full, and she felt that to emphasise them could only be vulgar. And her eyes were large enough without needing kohl to show them up.

Lusya grinned at her as she tried on the finished dress for the first time.

"You'll knock him sideways" she said.

"Who do you mean?" asked Elissa sharply. She had not thought she had mentioned anyone to Lusya – and she valued her privacy!

"Whoever!" grinned Lusya. "You taught me to logicate. That tells me that Elissa the Woodcrafter does NOT dress up to no purpose. And the only purpose I can think of is to point out forcible to one of our dedicated but less than perspicacious woodcrafters that you are a woman, not one of the boys!"

Elissa laughed, flushing.

"I concede the point" she admitted.

"Whoever it is, have fun" Lusya hugged her friend carefully so as not to crush her finery. "It's my last Gather here before I'm off to High Reaches, so I'll make sure of having a good one too!"

In the short time between finishing her dress and the Gather, Elissa worked hard on saleable items. She had made two card boxes with blanks already; and also made some pretty boxes inlaid with stone. Tuon had been torn between criticism over untraditional materials and envy that he had not had the idea first! Elissa's food cupboard too was finally finished, though a full quarter of the price must go to cover the materials. Stone and wood turned boxes she could almost turn out in spare moments now. And the precious Herbal was completed – and stamped by Masters Isimy and Bendarek. There were a dozen copies, all identical; Bendarek had given her and Alaran leave to work in the evenings on making paper leaves, for the process interested him greatly! Tahnee had shown an interest in the movable words, and had made her own suggestion that if an alphabet or two were carved, words that came up infrequently could be spelled out with individual letters. Elissa took Tahnee and her idea to talk to Master Isimy; and he had scratched his head and pointed out that some letters were used more often than others, so carving several whole alphabets would be a waste of time. Tahnee was currently working out which letters were used most, by dint of counting each in several teaching ballads; for Isimy had given her leave to work on the project if Alaran and Elissa were willing. Alaran was good natured enough; and Elissa counted Tahnee a family member now, so they helped her to tally. Tahnee had the slight handicap of reading less fluently than a child with a fuller education; and Elissa felt this project a good way to help her. She hoped that attendance with the Crafthall harper, who held classes for the younger apprentices and the children of crafters would also help all four little girls to catch up. To be backward in any skill could bring scorn from thoughtless children that could prevent them from overcoming their dreadful ordeal.

As the Gather day approached, Elissa casually asked Gerney,

"Are you attending the Gather sir?"

He nodded.

"Yes. I usually do. I wanted to keep an eye on our four new members too. They're a little vulnerable right now."

Elissa smiled at him. How kind he could be!

"I'll help if you like. And when they've gone to bed, I thought I'd stay for the dance this time. I've never danced at a Gather before."

"Be careful." He grunted. "Sometimes it can get rowdy."

She chuckled.

"Perhaps you ought to stay and look after one of your older apprentices as well then" she suggested.

He looked at her seriously.

"Perhaps I ought to" he said. "Unless one of her friends does the job adequately."

The Gather day dawned fine, if cloudy. Elissa was filled with an irrepressible bubble of excitement, and had to force herself to eat the good thick porridge the apprentices had for breakfast that morning. She collected up Kisra and the four new ones to escort them to the Gather; and treated them to bubbly pies. She wore proudly the tassel denoting her Senior Apprentice which Gerney had given to her, and one to Alaran, right after breakfast; their position had been tacitly recognised for some time, for the Woodcrafter Hall, being newer than the other crafts, did not worry overmuch about formal postings amongst apprentices. Gerney however felt that at a public event, their status should be evident. Kisra seemed as proud of her honorary sister's status as though it were she who had won it!

Gerney came frequently to check how the youngsters were; he explained to Elissa that if she did not mind escorting them, it was better for them not to feel as though a master were keeping them under his eye; and she nodded.

Beka had other ideas; and lodged a sticky hand firmly into Gerney's to drag him along with them. His eyes met Elissa's in tender amusement.

"You should foster her – or maybe even all of them" the senior apprentice suggested when the little girls were distracted by a Harper tale.

"I'd be happy to – but it would be most improprietous of me to foster a girl child when I am unmarried" he pointed out. Elissa raised her eyes skyward and sighed. "But it is NOT the weyr" he added, correctly divining her thoughts.

"Truly" she sighed, then glanced up at him under her lashes. "Had you considered marriage as a possibility?"

"I've been waiting for the right woman since I was an apprentice. I anticipate waiting until the time is right" he said firmly; and his voice held a note Elissa privately thought of as 'no trespassers'!

"Well I guess they're fine with Isrona for the time being." She said neutrally.

The Blue and Green riders who had been at the previous Gather waved cheerily at Elissa and her young charges; and she waved back as she took them across to the Woodcraft stall. Gerney had pleaded duties after a while; and Beka had sighed but made no protest. She was happy to hold Elissa's hand instead; but plainly liked to keep all her special people in sight in case anything else awful happened. Elissa's heart went out to this poor little scrap, so young for her age; but it could be rather wearing!

At the stall, Kisra was overjoyed to find that a plain box she had laboured over had sold; and Elissa was stunned but delighted that all her items were sold out! She was able to pay off her debt to the weaver hall and still be left in funds! Tahnee laughingly suggested they celebrate with more bubbly pies; and Elissa agreed cheerfully. It was fun to see how much fun the four youngsters could have; though it made her furious that they still sometimes bit off laughter or raised voices to look nervously at her to check if such things were permitted. Silently Elissa swore that she would do her utmost to see that the rest of their childhood was as happy as possible! With this in mind she bought presents for all the little girls with some of her spare cash, seeing them wistfully finger pretty things. Kisra whispered,

"I don't need things the way they do if you're short, Elissa." And Elissa hugged her tight and whispered back

"but I want to buy you something because I love you."

Kisra beamed at her.

Eventually Kisra settled for an enamelled hair clip; Amula for a pretty brooch. Tahnee asked for soapstone to add, like Elissa, to boxes; and her sister clamoured for the same to try turning little vases. Beka led Elissa to the weavercraft stall and wistfully touched some rich silk. It was beyond Elissa's purse; but she negotiated for some scraps of the brightly coloured stuff that she could use to trim a dress in the plainer silk left over from her dress. She had overestimated her needs by, she thought, enough to make a sleeveless tunic for the love starved child, so at least she should have something nice to wear. The scraps she bought now would add cap sleeves, a neck trim and a hem trim.

Beka was delighted. It was not just the colour that attracted her, but the softness. She had never dreamed cloth could feel so nice! And when Elissa explained what she was going to do, Beka hugged her and could hardly speak for joy!

Elissa let all the little girls look at her dancing dress when she returned them to Isrona's care; they touched it with careful fingers. Tahnee grinned.

"This is the 'kind of telling him' is it?" she asked.

Elissa flushed and nodded.

"Am I missing something here?" demanded Kisra.

"Yes" said Tahnee, firmly. "It's to do with things Elissa was telling me because I'm the oldest."

Kisra frowned then tossed her head.

"Oh – sex things" she said dismissively.

Elissa wondered where, in a family as reticent as H'llon's, the child had managed to pick up on that!

It seemed to take forever for evening to come, though most of the day had been taken up with five lively little girls. But at last it was time for Elissa to change.

Several people stopped to stare at Elissa as she made her way to the dancing square that had previously never given the apprentice a second glance. Master Tuon almost dropped his flagon of beer!

Kyal whistled appreciatively; and Elissa dropped a half mocking curtsey.

Gerney stared, open mouthed.

Elissa caught his eye and smiled at him; then glided onto the dancing square.

She did not lack for partners. Gerney was not one of them; but he stood watching. Elissa took great pleasure in turning down Master Tuon when he requested a dance.

"So sorry, Master Tuon, I fear I have a subsequent engagement" she smiled demurely. She heard Gerney give a crack of laughter, hastily turned into a cough; and turned from the baffled Marquetry master.

Elissa danced almost every dance, though she declined to take part in the dancing competition. When the jiggers started to assemble to dance until all but one dropped she deemed it time to leave. She looked around for Gerney; but he had left. She heaved a sigh.

"Walk you home?" Kyal appeared at her shoulder to ask.

"Why not?" she shrugged.

It was back at the Crafthall that Kyal stuttered a declaration of love. Elissa listened gravely.

"Kyal, you are bewitched by The Dress" she said kindly. "I like you. You like me. No more. You'd hate being married to me, honestly. Now go to bed."

Kyal looked crestfallen.

"Don't you give me any reason to hope?" he asked mournfully.

"None" she said. "And by lunchtime tomorrow you'll have recovered" she gave him a little push; and he obediently slouched away. Elissa chuckled quietly to herself. Kyal's pride might be a little dented, but it would recover. She looked at the stars and sighed for her own troubles. She did not feel like turning in yet; she had too much on her mind.

Elissa wandered into the turning hall and breathed in the rich scents of mingled wood. She was not, of course, supposed to be in there without someone of journeyman rank or above. She didn't care. She sighed deeply again.

She yelped in surprise as she was grabbed by the shoulders; then realised it was Gerney and relaxed as he shook her.

"Why are you playing games?" he demanded. "What's all this in aid of? I thought you had views on what it was proper to be valued for?"

"I did. But it didn't seem to be getting me anywhere. I had to do something. I find it's lowering not to be noticed as anything more than quite efficient. Maybe skills aren't always enough" she looked up into his eyes. "Even if there seems to be friendship, I thought if I was going to get anything more it needed prodding."

He shook her again, though gently; and she steadied herself with her hands against his chest, leaning back against his restraining hands. She met his eyes and smiled hopefully up at him.

"Noticing you? I've been noticing you for a long time" he said, almost savagely. Then he was kissing her, hard, demandingly. Elissa kissed back and wriggled happily against him.

He pulled away.

"I should not have done that" his voice was ragged. "A master taking advantage of an apprentice like that…"

"Fardles" snorted Elissa. "I've been waiting for you to do that for ages."

"You have?"

Elissa wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down onto hers again. She shivered pleasurably as his hands explored her body, warm through the thin silk.

With difficulty he pulled back.

"We should wait until you are a journeyman" he suggested.

Elissa gave a little cry of dismay.

"That could be years! Gerney, Must we?" she pulled a face. "No. I must not plague you. Gerney, I'll wait all my life for you if I have to, if it's what you want. So long as I know you care for me."

He cradled her to him.

"I - I don't want this to turn into a guilty tumble after a Gather. Does that make you laugh at my craftbred notions?"

"No. Oh no! you mean we should savour our moments together and let it all build up? That – that's rather exciting!" she blushed and a tremor shook her slim body.

"You were right about me considering marriage" he said. "I want to marry you. I thought you were too young to want to think about such things. But I do not want to – to lay with you until we are married. I do not want to risk your reputation."

She growled deep in her chest.

"Aah, cruel lathemaster! Yes. Oh yes, I will try to be good. Though it will be hard."

The glance she gave him was anything but good; and he swallowed hard.

"Go to bed." His voice was harsh. "Go to bed before I lose all my self control."

She touched his face; and picked up her hem to run to her dormitory, every nerve alive!

Elissa slept little; but she dreamed much, and was still walking on air next morning!

Sadvia looked quizzically at her friend in the morning.

"Kyal says you turned him down" she said regretfully.

"I told you he's not my type – as a lover or a husband" said Elissa. "He'll be glad in the long run you know."

Sadvia sighed.

"Maybe" she said. "You know, Elissa, if I didn't know you'd spent the night in your own bed here, I'd have thought from the expression on your face you'd taken a lover."

Elissa grinned.

"It never occurred to you that it might be because I sold all my goods yesterday?" she asked. Sadvia shot her a startled look.

"It hadn't. but I suppose knowing you, it should have. And there was me thinking you'd dressed up for someone special" she added aggrieved.

"You can't always be right" grinned Elissa ambiguously; and headed for breakfast.

Gerney met Elissa on her way to class.

"I must be hard on you in class" he said. "Because…"

She silenced him with a finger across his lips.

"Of course you must" she agreed. "There's no need to tell me that."

He looked relieved: and turned away abruptly as she smiled up at him.

Elissa's belly did a somersault; and she told it firmly to behave as she took her place serenely and demurely behind her lathe.

Alaran noted that his favourite master was being unwontedly short with Elissa today and wondered why. Still, he seemed able to give credit where it was due; the younger apprentices had been having a lesson on the uses of different chisels, Gerney demonstrating the particular virtues of each kind.

"And now" he said "Having seen a bewildering array of specialist tools, perhaps you would like to listen to Apprentice Elissa tell you what chisels she commonly uses."

Elissa turned round and grinned at the host of expectant faces.

"Other than a roughing gouge, I use at times a fine gouge; but mostly the skew." She said.

"That's all?" gasped one of the boys. "What about beading tools and all them other things with funny shapes and names I can't remember?"

"I can do nearly everything with my skew." She said. "It's a question of fine control. It can't do everything, but it's good for most" she grinned. "But not everybody can get on with a skew. Alaran prefers his gouge. The point Master Gerney is making is that although there are many tools to help us, we each form our own way of working, and pick our own pet tools. That is why it is as well, when you have the confidence to choose and the skill to execute the work, that you manufacture your own chisels in the toolcraft class; and turn your own handles to fit your own hands here." She touched her chisel lovingly. "I made this three turns back; and I've had to replace the handle once because my hands grew."

"Well and concisely put, Senior Apprentice" nodded Gerney. "The rest of this lesson will be spent using the proper tools for their proper purposes; next session you may, within reason, experiment – but only under supervision. Alaran and Elissa will help you."

The lads who found this prospect exciting were the ones who made it all worth while. And lasses, added Gerney to himself. Three of the most enthusiastic in this class were Kisra, Beka and Lianka!

Elissa slid into Gerney's room during the morning break for klah and a thorough kissing. She sat at his feet drinking her klah, smiling to herself as she thought how demurely and properly she had called him 'Master' all morning. There was a satisfying eroticism in that implication of total surrender! Indeed, Elissa reflected, the necessary concealment and her need to behave properly was also intensely erotic. Knowing she must wait until the break to kiss her love had its own excitement! She smiled up at him.

"I think it's probably about time to break the news to my parents that I'm not about to get tired of woodwork and return to the weyr" she told him. "They'll probably consider my impending marriage a better reason to stay than my love of turning. They've always found my predilection for my craft puzzling" she laughed a little and sighed a little. "My parents and I love each other of course, but we really have very little in common!"

"Supposing your parents object to this match? They might remove you!" he said, his face tight with worry at this possibility. Elissa looked surprised.

"How could they?" she asked. "I'm over the age of Choice."

"The what?"

"Don't you have it outside weyrs? Or is it a different age and called something else? In a weyr it's based on the youngest age a youth can fight Thread. As the lowest age to Impress is twelve turns, and you fight Thread after two turns of training, the Age of Choice is fourteen. At that age, you are responsible for all your own decisions, though there are always plenty of older folk to advise you."

"Your parents then see you as free to marry whomsoever you choose? In a Hold a girl is supposed to accept her parents' decision whatever her age. A boy is a man at sixteen. In a Crafthall, I suppose youths are kept younger longer in some ways; some leeway is given to foolishness up to about twenty turns – except in a journeyman."

"In that a journeyman has proven himself to be adult regardless of his chronological age? That makes sense, I suppose. We pick an artificial age in the weyr to suit the exigencies of fighting Thread. And because it's ridiculous for, say, a blooded Bronze Rider to be told by his mother to wash behind his ears. But some of the non riders that age can be a bit puerile."

"Are your parents riders?"

She laughed and shook her head.

"No. it's not like people think. We have a large support staff. Most weyrfolk belong to that; but there are relationships between support staff and riders, in the same way that you have cousins like Saranna. And speaking of relationships, that's not how people often see it either. You really do not trip over orgiastic groups every few minutes!"

Gerney blushed; and she twinkled roguishly.

"If you're disappointed, we could have our own private orgy sometime!" she suggested.

"When we're married" he said firmly. "Tell me about your family."

Elissa considered.

"Well…father is weyrbred. He came Forward as part of the ancillary staff of High Reaches Oldtimers: he keeps the fireheights stocked and tends all the stairways. You know, to drumheights and things. Mother was one of the people taken on the pretext of Search to drudge for T'kul, but she met father and stayed on after Pilgra sorted it out. And I also have a brother and a sister, both half, one each way if you see what I mean."

Gerney didn't and said so; and she explained.

"About four turns ago my parents had a bit of a break up; and each of them ha a child with someone else. Now mother fosters my brother 'cos his mother isn't at all maternal. And they decided they really did like monogamy after all and got back together" she sighed and rolled her eyes up. "I TOLD them at the time that they were best suited for each other, but I suppose they had to find out for themselves."

Gerney hid a smile at the thought of Elissa at Kisra's age laying down law to her parents. But it all seemed most peculiar.

"Weyr relationships seem very strange" he ventured as a thought struck him. "Would – would you want to go off with a lover for a change?"

Elissa wrinkled her nose.

"I doubt it" she said candidly. "I don't think I'd want to sleep with anyone without interesting conversation; and as my interests are rather narrow, it kind of narrows my prospective lovers down to you."

Gerney laughed. It was at least half in relief.

"One thing I'd like to make clear" she added seriously. "I rather get the impression that holdbred women belong to their husbands if not to their parents. I don't know what it's like in crafthalls; but I belong to NOBODY, even you. I want to be your life partner, each with equal hold. With equal say about any children we have. The only thing I belong to is the Crafthall to repay my training."

He ran his hands through her hair.

"I – I feel like a firelizard" he said. "That I have no choice but to cleave to you; I hope you feel the same. But you can't cage a firelizard."

She leaned against him, well contented.

"What a beautiful simile! Oh yes, Gerney, it's so very much like that. Two souls meeting."

Two souls were late back to class; Elissa with her eyes downcast, Gerney with a forbidding look on his face.

"Shards!" muttered Alaran. "What's got his back up? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it!" replied Elissa, returning to her work.

Alaran did worry about it!

Beka also worried. She was terrified that her two favourite people had had a falling out; yet watching them closely she saw looks between them that did not fit. She stayed behind after class; unlike the others she did not have to join in the other classes yet.

"What can I do for you Beka?" Gerney smiled kindly.

Beka came and climbed on his knee. Gerney blinked. She looked at him seriously and asked

"Do you mind? I used to sit on my daddy's knee. But he died. And then we were poor. And them Mother gave me to Madam."

Gerney gave her a hug.

"Then do it by all means." He said. "What was it you wanted? You look full of questions."

"You look like you've quarrelled with Elissa 'cept when you look at her and then you don't. I don't understand" she said. Gerney took a deep breath. It had nor occurred to him that their circumspect behaviour might upset their – unofficial – fosterling. He asked,

"Can you keep a secret, Beka?"

The child nodded.

"Elissa and I are going to get married. But we have to wait, because she's still an apprentice. And I must not show favouritism, so we agreed that in class I would be harder on her than usual."

Beka digested this.

"So it's a pretend?"

He nodded.

"I won't tell. Only I'm so glad you're still friends!"

"We love each other very much. Beka, I didn't mean to tell you but as you know about us, we were hoping you'd be our fosterling when we get married."

She flung her arms round his neck.

"I'd like that so much! Can I be your fosterling now but do the same pretend? I won't mind if you scowl at me if you're my own new daddy!"

Gerney cleared his throat. Poor little mite, she was so very young!

"If you would like that, Beka. But I don't have to be too tough on you right now because I'm not too tough on any of the youngest ones." He explained. "When you get older I will have to expect more from my daughter."

She nodded seriously.

"I love you, daddy Gerney" she told him. "And Mummy Elissa, though she's more like a big sister than a mummy."

"I'm sure she'd rather be a sister to you than a mother" he said. "so you can have fun together."

Gerney told Elissa later that he had told Beka where she stood and why; and his lover nodded.

"She deserves to know that someone loves her" she said. "She's a bright little thing to pick up on the anomalies of our behaviour, for all that she acts so young."

"I think it's a defence" suggested Gerney. "She hides in babyish. Maybe it got the others protecting her more; or helped to convince Sandrina that she was not old enough for" he pulled a look of distaste "Special treatment."

"She'd only interfered with Tahnee." Elissa informed him. "I had a chat with her about it. When I was in the infirmary."

"You get about." He was amazed. She chuckled.

"H'llon would call it 'the T'lana touch'" she explained. "Why aren't you kissingme?"

Gerney complied!

100


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Elissa laboured carefully over a letter to her parents. Despite her airy assurances that they would accept her betrothal, she did wonder what her parents would feel about her irrevocably giving up the weyr to join the Crafthall – and raise their grandchildren as craftbred! Of course, Elissa had every intention of giving any children she and Gerney might have the option of trying for Impression. With H'llon at High Reaches there was no reason they could not continue their studies; and turn in pieces for judging against eventual promotion to Journeyman. But this was running ahead! On due consideration, the girl opened her letter by saying that she knew how pleased her parents would be to hear her good news, to throw an expectation of acceptance on them! She realised rather guiltily that her letters to them were infrequent; and filled the rest of the missive with chatty news about all that she and her friends had been up to. It was a thick package by the time she had done when she gave it to Lusya; for the time had come for H'llon to pick her up to try for Impression! Lusya looked at the letter and laughed.

"Are you sure all that extra weight won't upset poor Melth?" she quipped. Elissa grinned.

"I'm sure he'll just about manage it" she said solemnly. "I thought I'd better give it to you to deliver; H'llon is a little unreliable about errands if something else important crops up. Keeping in touch with kin does NOT come high up his list of priorities."

"Mmmm" said Lusya, eyeing the letter. "And you frequently keep in touch with yours, I see."

Elissa had the grace to blush.

"Well – I am an honorary cousin!" she said. "Must be a family failing!"

Lusya laughed, then gasped as she saw Melth appear from _between_. White faced she looked around wildly at her parents and her home; and her eyes suddenly filled. Elissa hugged her.

"You'll love it there!" assured Elissa. "High Reaches is like an extended family. The logicators will welcome you as one of their own – they're all my friends. Now go say goodbye to your family!"

Lusya ran back to say her final farewells as Melth landed neatly; and Elissa saw a passenger on his broad back. As the youth dismounted she gave a cry of joy; and ran to embrace the newcomer, whooping cheerfully. Little brown firelizard Softy rose scolding from Telfer's shoulder as Elissa hugged her friend and fellow apprentice. Once Softy had been mollified by fussings, he made friends with Mellow and Trill; and Elissa dragged Telfer to meet her collective friends who were also there to see Lusya off before she even considered introducing him to Master Bendarek! Telfer seemed much struck by Sadvia; and lingered over his greeting. Elissa smiled to herself. She was so happy herself, she wanted her friends to be in a similar contented state. She was already promoting a budding romance between Arkis and the diminutive Leichalle; and it seemed only right that Sadvia should have someone nice too! After all, surely Sadvia's parents could not object or dismiss as unsuitable someone who was the de facto foster son of a Bronze rider.

When Lusya had gone, Telfer submitted with good grace to being dragged around the Crafthall to meet all the masters. His easy good manners and obvious ability won approval all round; being an apprentice of H'llon's did him no disservice. H'llon had already spoken to Bendarek about the reasons for Telfer's late arrival; and the masters had been made aware that the boy had had to overcome a long period of disability that had held him back. The only reference to it was made by Master Tuon, who asked bluntly if the sight defect would inhibit his work. Telfer answered,

"Yes sir; and I am aware that I am also behind in this field. But I will do my best, and not try to over estimate my abilities. My sight improves all the time, so who knows but that I might yet prove skilled?"

Tuon had nodded. Although often affected in his judgement by a pretty girl, he was generally acknowledged to be a fair, and even indulgent by the boys under his care. His habit of being even more indulgent to the Ranking was a standing joke; but as it was not at the expense of the lower born it engendered little real rancour!

Meanwhile Gerney took the bull by the horns and went to see Masterwoodcrafter Bendarek.

"Ben, I am desirous of entering the state of matrimony" he said formally.

"MARRIAGE? But you've only known the girl a few months!"

Gerney blushed.

"You – you are aware of the direction of my affections?"

"I like to know what is going on in my Crafthall. I don't know everything; but I recognise a man in love when I see one. Gerney, I've no intention of making her journeyman for a good while, probably not a turn yet. Her abilities are good enough; but she's over young."

"Then the condition is that she be journeyman before we wed? I thought you might stipulate that."

"I make no condition, Gerney. I'm just saying that if you can wait, it would be more politic. As the decision to promote lays in a consensus of all the masters – though I think my own opinion carries some weight – no-one could accuse you of favouritism in making her up to Journeyman at what will still be a relatively young age. We all know she's exceptionally talented. Maybe even more than young H'llon" he sighed; he missed H'llon.

"She has the same singleminded devotion to the task in hand" smiled Gerney. "But she has chosen to LEAVE dragons. H'llon was picked to give his attention to more than just woodcrafting" he looked levelly at Bendarek. "I would also like to foster Beka. And maybe the other three, though I find Amula harder to relate to. With a wife I could do so. It is not merely my personal feelings that make me act in such unseemly haste" he added as though as an excuse.

Bendarek hid a smile.

"The fostering must be informal for now. As to Amula, you need not be concerned; Saranna has asked to take her as a fosterling. Her talents as a woodcrafter are mediocre it is true; but she is a caring girl, and Saranna thinks she will learn healing crafts well. And she does need an assistant now young H'llon has stolen our Lusya!"

Gerney nodded, relieved. He had been prepared to do his best by Amula, but it was those who had a feel for the wood who really attracted his attention.

"H'llon acted as he saw best, Ben" he defended his cousin. Bendarek laughed.

"He's physically incapable of doing anything BUT act for the best!" he chuckled. "His motives are always of the best; and his sense of what is right is beyond his control. In the same way your feelings, anyone's feelings, are beyond control. I do not censure you for falling in love, man, so do not try to excuse it like an apprentice prank! But try to be patient."

With that, Gerney had to be content.

WWWW

Elissa looked aghast.

"A whole turn? It seems forever!" she whispered. "I did hope the Master would relent and let us wed before I made journeyman. But oh, Gerney, what a confidence in me to think that I would be ready for the promotion so young! It – it is not forever. And if our love could not survive the wait, then it would not be true in any case."

He caressed her face and looked wonderingly at her.

"Sometimes, my little Flower, I wonder when you got older than me!"

She laughed adoringly up at him.

"I'm just hopelessly prosaic, I'm afraid. Not a romantic bone in my body!"

Gerney pulled her to him and kissed her passionately; then looked down at her, a twinkle in his eye beside the light of love.

"Not one?" he asked, teasingly. Elissa recalled with difficulty that she had been talking about her bones; and retorted

"No: for you turn them all to water!"

It was an interesting concept; and Gerney felt the need to experiment more in that direction!

WWW

Telfer had had time to settle in, and everyone was getting used to Lusya's absence, when Elissa received a visit from the minehold. It was the chief journeyman himself; and he looked grave.

"You were right about that crafty marksman!" he told her. "We got our garnets back this time, and beat him and threw him out. But he came back with a man with a crossbow and threatened our women with it to make us hand over all our gems."

"When was this?" asked Elissa.

"Four days ago."

"He can't have got far. We must issue descriptions across Lemos."

"To write enough descriptions to do any good will take forever!"

Elissa chuckled.

"Not at all. We have a new secret craft technique. Let me talk to Master Bendarek."

Elissa reflected that Tahnee's idea was already coming in useful; the girl had started work on some single letters. Without them, Elissa would have had to have carved the word 'mole' and would rarely have found a use for it! She took the problem to Master Bendarek and explained her idea of printing off many copies of a description of the rascally trader; and asking H'llon to scatter them.

"It's not crafter business." Bendarek demurred. "It might be resented by Benden."

"Then I shall ask that nice Blue Rider and his lover if you like" said Elissa.

The girl meant no cheek; and Bendarek knew it. But he was dubious.

"You can try" his tone showed his doubt. "But they may think it beneath them. And Lord Asgenar's permission would have to be sought. But if such dissemination of information can catch criminals it would be a great advance."

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Elissa composed a careful letter; and addressed it to 'Bimoleth's Rider'; for weyr-like she had found out the dragon's name if not the Rider. She attached her missive to Mellow's collar and gave him a picture of the Blue Rider's face.

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D'vind was surprised to say the least when a small brown firelizard popped from _between_ in front of him with an enquiring chirrup; and put his head on one side to facilitate the untying of the scroll he carried. D'vind took the message seeing his dragon's name on it; and fed an eager Mellow with titbits. The little creature crooned happily at him until with an apologetic chirp he disappeared!

The message asked a favour in terms of exquisite courtesy and no flattery whatsoever. The writing was in a youthful but forceful hand, and was signed 'Elissa the Woodcrafter'. D'vind showed it to his weyrmate Ch'sseri, who grinned.

"We'll not find out what she wants unless we answer this imperious little summons, shall we?" he grinned.

"Summons?"

"She writes the way F'lar talks. Polite, but she expects our compliance. Pity she won't stand for Impression. I could see her as a Weyrwoman."

"She might yet be. Anyway, she's a nice kid and a great artist in wood. I agree. We go."

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Elissa had set out a sheet from her words and letters, with Tahnee's enthusiastic help; and had printed off several copies to show the miners. They were impressed. So too were the young dragonriders when they arrived.

"But is Lord Asgenar going to be um, irritated by us in the Weyr interfering, though?" asked Ch'sseri. "If we tread on his toes, F'lar will blast us every which way to next sevenday."

"I had thought about it." Elissa said. "But I wasn't going to ask him if you weren't willing to help. If you are, perhaps you'd not mind a trip to Lemos Hold with Kyal? He's Lord Asgenar's cousin and he can talk the back end off a mule. He's been trained to it."

Kyal swung a lazy good natured buffet at her; after a few days embarrassment he had managed to resume his easy friendship with Elissa, made easier by her never referring to his awkward proposal of marriage. And she had been right to turn him down, he thought – she was far too bossy to make a good wife!

"We have discussed this fully." Said Bendarek, present at the meeting. "We do not wish to give offence; and by causing trouble, this villainous marksman and his accomplice have placed it firmly in Lord Asgenar's domain. Indeed, if you do not mind, Green Rider, I feel I too should come."

"The more the merrier!" laughed Ch'sseri. "This is fun!"

"This invention could help with all kinds of teaching as well as disseminating information!" said D'vind excitedly.

"I was hoping the pair of you would accept a copy of our first book as a gift." Said Elissa. "We've a book of teaching ballads on the go at the moment; Alaran and I foresee a day when every child everywhere could have a copy of them."

"Or stories like Moreta's Ride, so anyone could read it time and again!" D'vind's eyes shone.

"Harpers might not like that." Said Ch'sseri dryly.

"But a live performance would still be better than reading." D'vind disagreed. "And when you then read it you could recall your favourite Harper declaiming!"

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Asgenar was excited by the sheaf of identical documents Kyal showed him.

"The idea that a description of a criminal can be so quickly and easily sent out is fantastic!" he declared. "I see no reason, if the weyr is willing, that Weyr, Craft and Hold should not work together for the common weal; I've been saying so for turns. It's only that there are too many too hidebound to listen." He looked at the sheets again, shaking his head in wonder. "Marvellous. We live in exciting times with all the inventions there are now!"

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The massive campaign paid off. A runnerbeast trader with a firelizard sent a message to a colleague in Lemos Hold; and the rascally marksman and his violent friend were rapidly taken by Asgenar's men.

Asgenar believed in swift and poetic justice.

He handed the precious pair over to the Minehold with instructions that they dig stone for not less than five turns and not more than ten; dependant on their good behaviour!

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Bimeleth and his mate Iphedeth and their riders became frequent visitors at the Woodcrafter Hall, curious as to what Elissa would come up with next: and she introduced them to logicating. She also told them severely that they must not disrupt her studies or she would be dismissed the Crafthall; and they nodded contritely and confined their visits to her leisure periods!

Gerney chuckled at Elissa's handling of the riders.

"And to think you were nervous of them at first, love!" he teased.

"They were rather conscious of their dignity. Now they've found we're friendly people, they can be friendly back. And the kids" she included some of her seniors like Leichalle and the twins in her sweeping description "Take their tone from Telfer and me, because they've found there's nothing really peculiar about D'vind and Ch'sseri just because they are lovers. I think they're rather a sweet couple."

Gerney pulled a face.

"I find it all rather hard to swallow."

Elissa giggled naughtily.

"Isn't that what Ch'sseri does?" she asked wickedly.

Gerney burned!

"Come here, you minx!" he growled.

Elissa complied happily, wrapping her arms around him. The promptness of his physical response, hard against her belly, was a compliment she appreciated; and she lifted her face for his kiss as she pressed herself against him!

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Beka hugged her big secret to herself. It was fun being the only person apart from Master Bendarek who knew that Master Gerney wasn't really grouchy at Senior Apprentice Elissa. She was also delighted that she would have family of her own; and was not upset as she might otherwise have been when Amula was fostered by Saranna. The older girl spoke to the younger.

"I hope you don't mind, Beka" she said anxiously. "I won't accept if it will upset you, but it's so kind of Saranna. She wants me, Beka!"

Beka touched the older girl on the arm.

"Truly, Amula, I am really glad for you. It's nice to be wanted. I'm wanted too – when I'm older I'm going to be one of Master Gerney's special apprentices. He told me so." Gerney had told the little girl that she could use the fact that she as well as Lianka would be his special pupils to explain why he treated her preferentially.

"Is that enough?" Amula did not see that being made to work harder for one particular master in addition to other lessons could be in any way desirable!

Beka's eyes shone.

"Oh YES!" she declared.

There could be no doubting the little girl's sincere happiness; and Amula stopped feeling so guilty over her own good fortune. Indeed, she thought, Beka seemed to have grown up a lot!

She was not the only person to notice it. Elissa and Gerney were both amazed and delighted that Beka started forming fuller and more mature sentences; and her voice gradually lost the babyish tone it had held.

"She's more secure now she knows we care about her." Said Gerney, in an undertone as Beka chatted to her classmates. Elissa nodded, watching the child working confidently.

"It's a heavy responsibility, though." She said seriously. "We must be so careful never to betray the trust she puts in us – even unwittingly."

Gerney's eyes softened as he looked at his betrothed. She thought ahead so carefully!

"I love you so much" he said quietly.

Elissa flushed becomingly, and looked down to hide the look on her face lest she betray her feelings.

"And I you." She replied.

Alaran wondered what the master might have said to his friend to make her colour up and look down as though upset. He was very confused. He still admired Master Gerney above any master; but it seemed so unfair that Elissa seemed to have to work so hard to get any approval from him at all. No, the boy reflected, that was not quite true. Master Gerney praised her work readily enough, but there seemed to be something missing. He never joked or chatted with her any more as he had used to do; and he rarely put in an appearance when the logicators met. To be sure they had at first been dismayed at the idea of a Master butting in; but he had never made them feel that he was taking charge. It was all very strange. Alaran did not like it at all!

Alaran continued to brood on the apparent coolness between two of his favourite people; and on a day preceding a regular holiday he felt he had to speak out when Gerney said brusquely,

"No day off for you, tomorrow, Elissa. I need you to come and help me gather some samples of different wild woods."

"Yes Master Gerney." Elissa kept her face meekly lowered to hide the flare of joy in her eyes at the thought of spending a whole day alone with him. It was not that Alaran was a gossip; but Gerney was HER secret. And he would not be able, she felt, to keep it to himself: and Master Bendarek had besides spoken to her and impressed upon her the need for discretion until the wedding could be organised. It was a matter of discipline.

Alaran cleared his throat.

"Sir, it's all right for Elissa to have a day off. I'll come and help you" it would save her from a day of misery, the boy thought.

Elissa peeped up at Gerney from an angle Alaran could not see: a dimple peeped out at the corner of her moth, and her dancing eyes plainly said 'get out of that one'!

Gerney fixed Alaran with a steely gaze.

"Elissa has certain skills that I need" he said in a tone designed to repress. Elissa flushed prettily. Alaran however was persistent.

"What skills, sir? You've trained us both." He sounded injured.

"The girl climbs better than you; and not possessing the wide shoulders that characterise the males of our family, even on our side, she can get through narrow squeeze spaces."

"Oh." Alaran had no answer to that!

Later Elissa laughed up at her beloved.

"And are those the only other skills the girl has?" she teased him.

"No." he said, kissing her masterfully. "She's also a fardling sight prettier than Alaran."

Elissa sighed, contentedly!

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	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

It was early when Elissa and Gerney slipped away, stopping as soon as they were out of sight of the Crafthall for a passionate embrace. Elissa could have wished that the tree he pushed her against were a little less knobbly; but before the discomfort became a distraction from the wonderful sensations his kisses aroused in her body, the sound of voices interrupted them.

They exchanged a brief glance; and with one accord ran quickly on up the slope of the foothills, handlocked and laughing.

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The voices belonged to the other logicators; and when they reached the grove, Alaran addressed his fellows.

"Look, I'm a bit concerned because I think that Master Gerney and Elissa have had a falling out. She, of course, is our chief logicator; and he's not so bad himself, and it can only be bad for logicating if we lose them both. I mean, they've been avoiding each other for some reason; and they've neither of them been to several meetings."

"Elissa has been to more than Master Gerney" said Kyal. "He seems to be avoiding her, you're right."

"He's also been being grouchy at her" Alaran told them.

"You always keep saying that he's not grouchy at all!" accused Sadvia. Alaran grinned sheepishly.

"All right, poor choice of words. He's not normally grouchy. But he's a bit short with her."

"Could she have done anything – intentionally or unintentionally – to upset him?" wondered Teerel.

"I don't know. It started right after the Gather" said Alaran.

"Maybe it's because she put on a dress and joined in the dancing" suggested Sadvia. "He thinks she's turned all flighty and girly like the rest of us females. And she'd going to have to do an awful lot of good work to pull herself back into his good graces and turn him up sweet again."

"That could be it" nodded Alaran. "He's fine with cousin Kisra and with Lianka and Tahnee and Beka."

"W-well I th-think the lot of you are j-just a b-bunch of wh-wherry-headed numbskulls!" accused Tirlo. They all turned and stared at him and he flushed.

"What do you mean?" Kyal asked, mystified.

Tirlo sighed.

"C-can't you work it out for yourselves?" he asked with blistering scorn.

"No." said Alaran crossly. "And I guess I'm as close to Elissa as to my own sister. Probably closer in some ways as we share craft. Perhaps you'd be kind enough to enlighten us?"

Tirlo laughed.

"N-no, I d-don't believe I shall!" he chuckled. "If you're any g-good as logicators, w-w-work it out for yourselves!" and he got up and left them.

"WELL!" said Sadvia.

"Well. Indeed!" agreed Alaran, lost – for once – for words!

Telfer chuckled to himself. Coming in from the outside he had rapidly come to the conclusion that Elissa was in love; but if she chose to keep her feelings close, it was none of his business!

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The chimney was a stiff and challenging climb; and Gerney and Elissa enjoyed it no end. They scrambled onto the top and flung themselves down on the dry earth, warming in the late autumn sunshine. Both were panting, leg muscles burning from the effort. Sweating, Gerney threw off his tunic; for the rays of the sun were still warm enough on a calm and windless day such as this to make it little risk. Indeed it had been unseasonably warm and many older folk warned of a hard winter to make up for it! Elissa was hot too; and after a moment's hesitation she took off her tunic too. Her breast bands had been efficiently tied for maximum support rather than to maximise her figure; for she knew she would be climbing. Even the prospect of a romantic day out had not overcome her practicality; and Gerney loved her for it. Tentatively she touched the fabric of the band.

"Should I…"

Gerney swallowed hard, but shook his head.

"We have a long time to wait….let us keep it slow."

She lay down beside him, her head on his chest holding his hand, utterly contented. Their firelizards basked beside them; and Elissa reflected idly that when they matured, any decision to wait might yet be stymied by a hard –to-ignore mating flight. But they would cross that bridge if it arose. Meantime they were together; and walnut wood could wait.

The day was halcyon. The walnut wood was a mere excuse; for as Gerney explained it was dangerous to cull wood from walnuts save in the dead of winter, for the tree would bleed sap from a cut until it died. He had wished mainly to check the state of the tree for later cutting, and see if it had seeded. It had; there were a number of saplings of various sizes that could be dug up as soon as they had entered their dormant period and transplanted to a more accessible site. Meanwhile, Elissa gathered a sackfull of walnuts, husks and all. The nuts would be an excellent supplement to the Hall's winter diet; and the hulls would provide a rich brown dye for clothing. They opened some to eat; and Gerney cracked walnut shells in his fingers for them both. Elissa was impressed; and he taught her the trick of it.

"I haven't seen any lads with stained fingers" he said. "Maybe the location of the tree has been forgotten by today's apprentices. Not that there were ever many of us who could make the climb." He added with some satisfaction. Elissa grinned. Her weyr-trained muscles were far better than those of most of the apprentices, save those who came from backgrounds such as minercraft or smithcraft. Hard work alone did not necessarily develop strength or general fitness, though it helped. But youngsters like Elissa routinely helped bag and shift firestone for the fighting crews and those trainees who were blooded by transferring it to the leading edge of Thread; and she was as strong as any lad her age or stronger! Her only fear had been that crafter life would make her soft; but if Gerney intended regular excursions like this one, it would help!

They moved on eventually; and gathered samples of various woods –rather desultorily – wandering far and wide, noting interesting trees, hand in hand. Stops for kisses that left them both spent with emotion were frequent interruptions. The wood was only a pretext for a day together in any case; though both loved their medium so much that finding rare trees and groves was a wonder intertwined with their feelings for each other. The firelizards darted and played in and out the dappled shade under the canopy; now hiding in shadows, now a flash of bright colour when caught in a shaft of sunlight that penetrated the golden autumnal canopy. Elissa scuffed through the richly coloured carpet of fallen leaves, kicking them cheerfully up in the air like a small child; and Gerney laughed gently at her antics.

"It's such fun!" she explained. "Like wading ankle deep in discarded sunlight! It's very different to the pine forests around High Reaches. Lighter. They keep their leaves all year round, and the forests can be very sombre."

Gerney hugged her.

"Autumn is my favourite time of year." He told her. "All the trees have different coloured leaves – yellow, golden, tan, orange, red – every warm type of colour. And the sun feels pleasant even when there's a chill in the air. And you can see the beauty of the shape of the trees being revealed as the leaves fall."

"Yes – although it's a precursor to winter, there are the buds already in place if you look for them as a promise of spring and new life." Elissa agreed. There was a sense of peace here in the autumn; a resting period, a pause before winter's dormancy and the renewal of spring. And with her beloved, any season seemed good in any case!

The end of the day was to be spoiled.

As the lovers returned down a little-travelled path, it became apparent that one of the great oak trees bore the kind of strange fruit it should never have carried.

The hanging body was that of a young woman; and it was plain that she was quite dead.

"Oh dear" said Gerney. It was not perhaps an adequate statement; but there was hardly a more logical comment to be made. He added, "It's Runa, from the kitchen. Now why should she go and kill herself?" he looked upset; and Elissa squeezed his hand, forcing back her own feelings of distress.

"But Gerney, it can't be suicide" she said, her logicator's brain processing facts almost without her being aware of it.

He stared.

"Not – are you sure?"

She nodded..

"She could only have hung herself so high by climbing the tree and jumping off the branch the rope is tied to. The bole is straight with no projections; and too wide in girth to swarm. I bet anyway women here don't learn to shimmy up straight boles. And if she could, her skirt would be so stained by the moss. The only other way she could hang herself from that way requires me to draw your attention to the stool or ladder she must have jumped off after using it to tie the knot to the branch."

"But there is no…I see" he looked grave. "If it is not suicide, it must therefore be murder."

Elissa nodded.

"Precisely. Lift me up, love, and I'll cut her down."

Gerney pulled a face but complied, easily raising Elissa to a level where she could cut through the rope with her sharp belt knife. The girl took the time to examine the knot by which the rope was attached to the branch; and noted that it was a poor knot, secured only by multiple tying. Then she cut through the rope; and as Gerney lowered her to the ground she turned her attention to the body. She was not a stranger to death; she had helped sometimes the weyrwomen in laying out bodies, for H'llon's workshop was conveniently close to the cavern of the departure ceremony when an errand runner was required. It was never easy, though, to approach death with any kind of equanimity, especially the violent death of a young woman. But her duty was plain; and she put the lessons she had learned from T'lana into use. First she checked for stiffness; then she examined the girl's neck closely.

"She has been dead half a day or more; and look, Gerney, there are fingermarks on her throat below where the ligature has marked it. Someone strangled her with his bare hands and then strung her up to make it look like suicide."

"But for your cleverness they might have succeeded. But who would want to do such a monstrous thing?"

Elissa turned the girl's skirt right up; and pointed to the rounded swell of her abdomen.

"A good guess might be the father of her child. It being shameful both to birth out of wedlock and to seduce a maiden in a Crafthall."

"He could have wed her."

"Maybe. Maybe he didn't want to; or maybe he was wed already – to somebody else."

"This is…this is…"

"Foolish and unnecessary. And wrong. For he has murdered an innocent babe as well."

"Does that not happen commonly in weyrs though – taking pregnancy _between_?"

"I can't answer for other weyrs, but High Reaches frowns on aborting _between_ after the third month. Once a babe kicks, we take him to be a person with rights. In the middle trimester, going _between_ is safe anyway; and we take that as a strong hint from nature. The only reason to abort a baby that is generally accepted in the final trimester is if the baby is causing medical problems for the mother, but sometimes so late an abortion can cause problems as much as cure them. This girl is, I guess, about six months gone; maybe seven. A baby has been known to live if born at seven months."

"We must take her back and inform Bendarek" said Gerney.

"I will stay with the body. It is right that a woman hold vigil for her while you get a stretcher party."

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Bendarek himself came with the stretcher party; Gerney had briefed him on Elissa's deductions. From the tales he had heard from H'llon about the ability of the High Reaches logicators, in addition to Elissa's previously demonstrated abilities, he did not question her conclusions, assuming them to be valid. Bendarek was a big enough man to accept expertise in others, regardless of their age.

"When was she killed?" he asked the girl bluntly.

"Alas, it's difficult to be absolutely precise; but the stiffness has spread past her jaw. It's warm today, but the body must have been in the shade most of the time. I'd say she died no sooner than an hour before noon; and probably no more than two hours after."

"I suppose that's a start" said Bendarek.

"Her relatives, colleagues and those close to her must be questioned to see who might have fathered her baby. And discreet enquiries made to eliminate those whose whereabouts can be established during the time in question. I'm assuming her killer made a tryst to meet her at the place she was hung, rather than killing her and carrying her. There are no drag marks beside the path, and though she was not a big girl, still a dead or unconscious body is not easy to carry. The killer must have needed at least half an hour to allow for walking there and back as well as doing the deed."

Bendarek sighed.

"Very well. I delegate to you and your team the investigation; but I want Gerney to oversee it, and I want to be kept posted."

"Sir" she nodded. "Poor Runa. It's a sad indictment that so simple a thing as pregnancy should provoke a man to kill."

"Weyrs are different." Bendarek chided gently. "We hold the state of marriage as important and sacred to maintain cohesion. It prevents problems of jealousy by the imposition of conventions."

Elissa tried to look suitable chastened; but could manage no better than expressionless. She happened to agree that generally speaking monogamy worked best. But people had lapses and lusts; and she felt that by making too big a deal of such things greater strain was put on society. And to her mind, Runa was a victim as much of craft morals as of her actual killer, presumably afraid of craft censure.

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Elissa decided first to speak to the kin of the dead girl; which consisted of her parents and a brother. She asked Gerney to be present, in case they objected – as well they might – to an apprentice asking nosy questions.

The three people sat numbly; Bendarek had broken the news of Runa's death, but at Elissa's request no-one had been told more. Elissa observed the dead girl's family covertly. Runa's mother was a big, capable looking woman. She worked in the Crafthall laundry and her brawny arms were red from too much washing. Her husband was a slender wisp of a man; his daughter took more after him. He was a record keeper. Their son took after his mother, and worked as a logger though he had never entered an apprenticeship. The expressions of all ranged between the vacant uncomprehending misery of the father to something akin to hostility from the son.

"May I first say that I am sorry about your tragic loss" Elissa began conventionally, hoping to keep control of her voice. This was a lot harder than just logicating!

Runa's father, Navro, roused himself from his numb reverie.

"Thank you" he said.

Runa's mother, Ruika, sniffed. It was a subdued sniff, and Elissa was not sure if it covered grief or indicated disapproval. The woman spoke.

"Perhaps it were for the best" she said.

"I beg your pardon?" Elissa was stupefied.

"That she should cover her shame by killing herself. Happen t'were better all round."

"BETTER? But it's not only she who's dead, there's the baby!" Elissa was incredulous.

"Exactly" said Ruika.

"She was bringing shame on the family" the dead girl's brother Nakaro spoke for the first time. "Mother is right. It was thoughtful of her to save us the shame. I never thought she had it in her, she never listened when I told her off. But what's it to do with you anyway?"

Elissa ignored the question.

"I'm wondering why you are so certain she committed suicide." She said.

"Of course we're certain." Said Nakaro. "Mother told me she was found hanged. It must be suicide."

"Oh? How did you hear that, Ruika?"

"One of the people who brought her back…they'd had to cut her down." Said the woman.

"She was indeed cut down." Said Elissa neutrally. "She had been hanged. After she was already dead."

"MURDERED?" her father leaped to his feet.

"Sit down, Navro, don't make a spectacle of yourself" snapped his wife. "Not that I can see how this chit of a girl can be so certain." The little man subsided. His eyes, Elissa noted, were dark with emotion and wet with unshed tears. Ruicka went on "And even if it were so, then you should look no further than that precious seducer of hers – a spoiler of women!" her words spat out like concentrated agenothree. "Journeyman Tull – aye, and he journeys into decent folks' beds, that's where he journeys! And his poor wife with a little kiddie and pregnant again! If he did not drive her to suicide, then 'tis he killed her for certain!"

Elissa swallowed. The venom was almost a physical presence.

"I will certainly be interviewing him in accordance with Master Bendarek's instructions." She said, making clear that she asked questions as a duty not from nosiness. "But perhaps you can tell me – did you see this Tull, or anyone else who might have a grudge against your daughter say, a couple of hours either side of noon? Or did you miss anyone that should have been there?"

Ruika shrugged.

"I noticed nothing unusual. I certainly didn't see that proddy little tunnel snake."

"But Ruika, how could you see anyone?" asked her husband. "You went out with Runa just before noon to gather greens in the wood."

"Yes, and the chit slipped off without me. To meet with that Son of the Red Star, I'll be bound!" she folded her arms in a 'that's that' attitude, not even considering an apology as Gerney's and Elissa's firelizards disappeared with terrified chirpings at the mention of that dread place. Elissa mentally counted to ten to regain her temper; then ostentatiously soothed Mellow and Trill when they reappeared as Gerney soothed Maple, Teak and Lapis.

"So you went out with Runa and she left you?" she asked confirmation.

"That's right."

Almost the woman seemed smug, pleased to have an opportunity to bring punishment to the man who – in her eyes – defiled her daughter.

Grief can have strange faces, thought Elissa.

"Nakaro, where were you and whom did you see at that time?" Elissa asked. "If the killer was not Journeyman Tull, we need to know who to eliminate from our enquiries."

Nakaro frowned.

"I was logging. It's a day off for the 'prentices, so I figured I could get a lot done without a load of pesky brats underfoot. They fetched me down with the news."

Elissa wondered if the comment about pesky brats was merely tactless or if it was barbed. She chose to ignore it.

"Navro?"

"I was in the kitchens….many of the boys were taking packed lunch out, there was no scheduled meal so I was able to take an inventory. I think most of the normal kitchen staff were there. I'm sorry, I didn't particularly notice."

"You never notice anything" cut in his wife. "Never even noticed your own daughter being seduced!"

"And you never noticed who killed her when she should have been with you." Navro got the courage to retort.

"HAH! Well, it served her right, anyway."

"Did it serve the innocent babe right?" asked Elissa mildly.

"Yes. An illegitimate child is an abomination!" spat Ruika.

Elissa raised her eyebrows as she got up to go. She held her body taut to prevent it trembling with rage.

"I'm sure that Master Gerney finds that comment highly illuminating about the esteem in which you hold his office" she said coldly: and stalked out.

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"How did you know?" asked Gerney bluntly.

Elissa shrugged.

"Isrona mentioned it in passing…in connection with you having been cursed with too many female relatives" she explained.

"I suppose she's also the source of your knowledge about my boyhood scrapes."

Elissa grinned.

"You might very well say so – I couldn't possibly comment!" she teased.

"Minx."

"Her or me?"

"You."

"Good. I wouldn't want you complimenting another woman" she smiled, then looked serious. "I've a bad feeling about this business" she confessed.

"You too?"

"Mmm. I mistrust the lack of motherly love. Surely your own child is more important than society's mores?"

"MY mother thought so. She never told her kin who had fathered me. They wanted her to marry him" he grinned wryly. "It would have been rather difficult – he was a dragonman. The two of them had fun. She told me when I was old enough to understand. She didn't want me to be made to feel guilty. We're not tremendously demonstrative, but we love each other. I'll take you to meet her when this is sorted."

"I'd like that. Now let's get on with this sorry mess. There are discrepancies that really trouble me; but we'd better go through the forms. Journeyman Tull is our next stop."

Journeyman Tull was good looking in a rather florid sort of way. Comparing him to Gerney, Elissa found it incredible that any woman could find him sufficiently attractive to risk her reputation for; but then, she reflected, if all people were alike they'd be pretty boring as a species.

Tull blurted out

"Master Gerney, is it true what they're saying? That Runa killed herself? I don't believe it!"

Elissa answered, asking sharply,

"Is that what you have heard? Who told you?"

He shook his head distractedly.

"I don't know…I think it was Saskia. She's a washer girl – works with Runa's mother."

"Why don't you believe it?"

"Because Runa would never be so craven! She told me she would have the baby; and people who didn't like it could do the other thing! It's been done before. I did offer to find out about herbs if she wanted to get rid of it, ages ago – and she said no!"

"Might she have changed her mind?"

He shook his head impatiently.

"You don't KNOW Runa, apprentice. She looked just a wisp of a thing, but she had a will of iron! She had to, don't you see, or that mother of hers would have squashed her flat!"

"Would it surprise you to know that far from killing herself she was murdered?" asked Elissa.

Tull paled and sat down hurriedly.

"Murdered?" he whispered. "Someone KILLED her? Deliberately?"

"Strangling is pretty deliberate."

"But – but who?"

"That is the task I have been set to find out" said Elissa. "And so I need to check your movements for a couple of hours each side of noon."

Tull paled still further.

"Are you saying that you think I….."

"The suggestion was made by another. I want facts, not speculation. Where were you?"

"In my own outhall. I was working. Lori came in a little before noon to see if I was ready to eat…we went outside to eat as it was fine, the babe likes it. I kept an eye on him so Lori could have a nap after lunch."

"Lori is your wife?"

He nodded. Elissa continued,

"Is she very fond of you?"

"Yes. Yes, of course."

"Fond enough to lie if you asked her to?"

He jumped up, crimson faced.

"That's an iniquitous suggestion, apprentice! You are pert in the extreme! I'll …."

"You'll answer the girl's question, journeyman" said Gerney quietly. "Her rank is not at issue in this case. Only her knowledge and experience. Would your wife lie for you?"

He did not meet Gerney's eye as he muttered

"Probably" but he lifted his head and added "But she would not have to!"

"Do you have a playpen?" asked Elissa.

"Yes, Lori finds it useful. I made her one."

"Consider that, with your wife asleep – and it would not be impossible to make that sleep deeply with a little fellis - you could pop the babe in his pen, meet Runa and kill her."

He looked ghastly.

"It's not true!" he cried. "You go too far!"

"As it happens" said Elissa "I believe you. I have not thought you were guilty since before I even met you. But I had to tie up the loose ends; and perhaps the fright will teach you something about the trouble you can get into by cheating your wife. Especially if she's fool enough to love you. If you didn't want to keep a wedding vow, you should never have taken it; you could have stuck to loving wenches."

While Tull gaped at Elissa's effrontery in her blunt summation, Gerney said dryly,

"I suspect the marital bliss was formed at the end of Lori's brother's spear – less than nine months before the birth of their son."

Tull's flush answered that guess in the affirmative!

WWW

"It has to be her brother – or her mother." Elissa told Bendarek. "And every clue points to the mother. She's a big strong woman. Her vitriolic attack had no sympathy for Runa at all. And it is from her that the tale of suicide stemmed; she told her son that Runa had been found hanged; she gave her source as those who had brought the body back WHO HAD CUT HER DOWN. They did not. I cut her down and only Gerney was present. We told no one. Moreover the knot tying the rope to the tree was multiple and inefficient. As a logger, Nakaro would know several good knots. That's not conclusive: if he were clever he could make it seem like the girl had tied the knots herself. But if he were that clever, he'd have also taken something she could have jumped off. And he doesn't strike me as too bright. Incidentally the suicide story had also reached Tull – by the medium of a colleague of Ruika. The woman was obviously spreading her tale before the news had broken that the girl was dead!"

"I can hardly believe it – her own mother. If you are right." Said Bendarek. "It's a disturbing expression of attitudes."

"It happens in reverse in a weyr." Said Elissa. "Girls from crafthalls holds sometimes go absolutely berserk in being promiscuous and make a nuisance of themselves until they settle down. But they hurt no-one but themselves."

"If this is all true, an example must be made." Sighed Bendarek. "There is no-one unto whom she can make restitution; and the message that this degree of extremity is unacceptable must be driven home. I will ask Asgenar to ratify an execution."

WWW

When Bendarek confronted Ruika, she confessed; and more than confessed. Her outpourings of hatred shocked and horrified the Masterwoodcrafter, leaving him feeling quite sickened. Regretfully he asked Lord Asgenar to ratify the death penalty; and duly Ruika was hanged.

The final casualty of the whole sordid affair was Navro. When he heard of his wife's guilt he took himself into the stores; and quietly took an overdose of fellis.

118


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The affair of Runa's murder left Elissa feeling rather low; and Gerney decided to fulfil his promise to introduce her to his mother. He led her up one of the valley spurs close to the woodcrafter hall, where his mother had her own craftcot, careful to point out the beauties of the trees growing there to distract her mind. Elissa was grateful. She had explained to Isrona that she would be gone for a while, certainly for supper and if longer, would sent little green Trill with a message. Isrona had wanted to know where she was off to: and Elissa had answered with perfect truth that she was visiting an outlying journeyman at the request of Master Gerney! Isrona had wanted to know if there was a female there to preserve Elissa's reputation if she did stay the night; and Elissa had answered demurely in the affirmative.

The craftcot was set by a small grove of birch trees, protected by tall skybrooms. Their silvery trunks gleamed soft cream in the thin autumnal sunshine; and their fallen leaves made a golden carpet. Outside the scrupulously clean paved surround was a small, neat vegetable plot; several carpines were in a walled run with a byre connected to the cot by a walled and covered runway. The door into the runway stood open; and Elissa saw a well and pump within it.

The cot's main door opened as they approached; and a woman who was plainly Gerney's mother came out, wreathed in smiles. Her neat dark hair had a centre parting and was caught in a knot at the nape of her neck; her pale skin showed very few lines. She was still a very handsome woman.

"Gerney! Good to see you. It's been too long. Come away in and introduce me to your apprentice!"

Gerney ushered Elissa ahead of him; and the girl found herself being examined by a pair of quizzical grey eyes. She smiled shyly, surprised to be finding herself feeling a little timid.

"This is Elissa" said Gerney. "She has real talent with the lathe."

"I heard rumours that you had been induced by Ben to take a female apprentice" Sahalla said gravely.

"I'm not the only one any more, though" said Elissa. "There's also Kisra, Beka, Tahnee and Lianka."

"You surprise me!" Sahalla said, holding out chairs for the pair. They were delicate things, and although Elissa detected Gerney's hand in the turned legs, she strongly suspected that the fretwork backs were his mother's work.

"Beka and Lianka are naturals – especially Lianka" explained Elissa. "Kisra, as of course you know, is passionate about woodworking in all its forms; and Tahnee, who is Lianka's older sister, works hard and well and produces adequate work. And they're all too young to do any female giggly stuff anyway. 'Cept maybe Tahnee, but she's not into that."

"Elissa is helping to bring them along." explained Gerney. He put a hand on Elissa's shoulder. "She – um – I – er…."

"It's al right dear, I don't bite" his mother said patiently.

Gerney reddened; and Elissa slid a hand into his and gave it a squeeze.

"He's trying to ask" she said, carefully, flushing herself, "If it would displease you were I to call you 'mother'."

"Call me…Gerney, tell me straight out, do you plan to marry this young lady?"

Gerney gulped.

"Yes." He said.

"At LAST!" said Sahalla. "Still, my dear," she bestowed a warm smile on Elissa "I suppose he had to wait for someone who shares his interests – indeed, one might even say passions."

Elissa smiled back.

"Well, I imagine anyone who didn't love wood probably finds the both of us mildly incomprehensible" she said.

"The adjective most people use is 'boring'" admitted Gerney.

"Elissa, I'm delighted." Sahalla hugged the girl. "When are you getting married?"

"Master Bendarek would like us to wait until I make Journeyman" volunteered Elissa.

"Will that be long, do you think?"

"He intimated about a turn" supplied Gerney.

"Mmm. What about if you fall pregnant before that?" his mother asked bluntly. Gerney burned!

"Mother!"

"Don't be such a prude. I heard Elissa is weyrbred. Such things don't embarrass her, do they my dear?"

Elissa had coloured slightly.

"N-not exactly. But we were planning to wait. That's more the custom here, and as people have nasty tongues, I'd not want Gerney to have any crackdust from anyone."

The look she gave him dispelled any lingering doubts his mother might have had. Sahalla hugged Elissa again.

"Well, my dear, if the pair of you run out of patience, I'll stand by you whether you get wed straight away or not. Has Gerney told you of the circumstances of his own birth?"

Elissa nodded.

"It's another reason I don't want to give those prurient old women more fuel for gossip." She said forcefully. "I guess it also helps to explain the firelizards!" she grinned, stroking her own two as she nodded at Gerney's fair, sleeping on the back of his chair.

"Yes, I've not seen them since they were new hatched and he made a flying visit to show them off to me. How they've grown! And you have two as well….what are their names? Woody ones too?"

Elissa laughed.

"Not quite. Mellow, my brown, sums up what I feel about wood generally – he's not quite the brown of any one type. And Trill is named for her voice."

Trill obediently showed off her musical ability.

"Ah, bless!" said Sahalla. She forbore to mention that as Elissa had a female lizard and Gerney had males, it could just be that their resolve to celibacy might be stretched when the little creatures matured. There was no point in borrowing potential trouble! She turned to her son. "Gerney, would you be so good as to haul logs for the fire; and Elissa and I will work on supper – doubtless with the help of Trill and Mellow."

"Yes, and we need to watch Mellow." Agreed Elissa with feeling. "He thinks everything needs pepper!"

Supper was a very cosy meal; Sahalla drew Elissa out about her family. Elissa in turn asked what aspect of woodcrafting most interested her lover's mother

"For I have been admiring your fretwork on the chairs" she said frankly. Sahalla smiled.

"Why, thank you! Most of what I do though is whittling and small amounts of chip carving – spoons, decorative boxes, some decorated shelves, that sort of thing. I do some bowls as well – but I do them with hammer and chisel, not the lazy way" she winked slyly at Elissa.

"It's not lazy to hollow on the lathe!" Gerney rose to the comment, even though it was plain this was a regular joking argument. "The lathe ensures a perfectly circular interior. Your bowls are just different!"

Sahalla laughed; and ruefully Gerney joined in, realising she had introduced the contentious remark deliberately. He was proud of his mother's abilities, and showed Elissa the bowls she made, often utilising natural shapes and incorporating the shape of the wood into the design. Others were oval, perfect for many vegetables to be served in. Elissa admired her work; and there was no need to simulate her interest! Dusk drew down quickly: and Sahalla suggested that the couple stay. Elissa and Gerney accepted and the apprentice sent Trill to Isrona with a message to that effect at the little green's neck.

Sahalla brought bedding into the main room; and left Gerney and Elissa to make their own arrangements. It was their unspoken agreement that each should be rolled in their own bed clothes; but they lay together in each other's arms. And it may be noted that, knowledgeable in theory though she might be, Elissa's experience was still very limited; and she found the extent to which they experimented wholly satisfying! Her happy and vocal responses showed her content; and Gerney was and Gerney drew as much pleasure from her pleasure as from the joy of holding his beloved to him.

The lovers elected to return at dawn and eat in the Crafthall. Gerney did not wish to be missed from more than one meal lest comment be made by his colleagues. He had no desire to put any pressure of disapproval on his young love!

Alaran grinned rather crummily at Elissa and waved a meat roll at her as she came to sit with her fellows.

"Hello stranger! Where've you been?"

"I went on an errand for Master Gerney." Elissa decided to stick to her official story.

Alaran grunted.

"He's exploiting you a little bit, you know" he said severely. "I bet it's because you wore a dress to the Gather. It made him remember you're a girl and he wants you to prove you're more than as good as us boys."

Elissa laughed.

"You're way off mark, Alaran" she said." It's all right for you, he's your cousin, kind of. Your mother's cousin. So he won't be accused of gross favouritism if he's friendly to you. He doesn't want to show any favouritism to me in case people say I get recognition for being Master's pet rather than for my abilities."

It was not totally a lie.

Alaran digested this sceptically.

"No-one but a fool would say you were favoured on anything but ability" he scoffed. "Anyway, how come being his cousin makes a difference?"

"Because the woodcrafter hall is knee deep in your relations. I'm an outsider. And a girl. You know what people say."

"I guess" he said dubiously; it was plain he remained unconvinced!

Telfer caught Elissa's arm on the way out of breakfast.

"Tirlo's guessed, you know. But he's keeping it to himself. And I certainly wish you very happy."

She grinned at him.

"Well I should not be surprised that you worked it out. Fresh eyes – and on an experienced logicator. But I'm impressed by Tirlo."

"He's a shrewd kid. They're all nice kids too. I like it here."

She flashed him a smile.

"I'm glad. And I'm sure you'll prove senior apprentice very quickly – as soon as all the masters have your measure. You deserve it."

"I'm still catching up a bit with some things – things like Marquetry where you have to be able to see well. I've not been able to put in much on that before. But Master Tuon has been helpful."

"You're good. It won't take long, especially if Master Tuon helps. He is a good craftsman. And as the operation Master Oldive performed seems successful, you'll be easily able to catch and even surpass Kyal, Sadvia and Leichalle so you can be back with your own age group."

Telfer grinned.

"I'll do my best!" he promised.

After the next Threadfall, as the sweep teams returned grubby and exhausted, two dragons, a blue and a green, wheeled in to land.

"I wonder what they want?" muttered Master Bendarek, a trifle warily.

"It's all right sir, it's only Bimeleth and Iphedeth." Said Elissa.

Gerney chuckled.

"Typical weyrbred – name the dragons, not the riders!"

Elissa grinned.

"I guess it could be typical logicator – although it's highly likely that they're being ridden by D'vind and Ch'sseri, one should never assume!" she twinkled at him.

The dragons were, in fact, bearing D'vind and Ch'sseri, still smelling of sweat and firestone.

"Masters." They nodded respectfully to Bendarek and Gerney. "Hi kid!" they greeted Elissa.

"We were hoping to pick the brains of the logicators" added D'vind.

"Certainly – when we're all clean. Unless it's an emergency, in which case I'll go drag them up right away" replied Elissa.

Ch'sseri shook his head.

"No emergency. Just something ….. strange. We'll be back shortly, then – if you don't mind, Master Bendarek?"

"The woodcrafter hall is always happy to be at the disposal of weyrfolk" agreed Bendarek. "And that extends to our logicators."

They were turning to go when Elissa shot out a thin brown hand to catch Ch'sseri's wrist.

"You've been fighting." She said, examining the grazed knuckles. The two young men exchanged a glance.

"Should I say 'sorry mother'?" Ch'sseri asked. Elissa gave him a Look.

"Well" began D'vind, "There was this snotty young green rider spreading wild stories about the woodcrafter hall. And Ch'sseri doesn't like him anyway."

"He keeps trying to get into D'vind's furs" explained Ch'sseri. "So I hung one on him."

"Seems fair enough." Commented Elissa. "No-one likes a slut. Master Bendarek, perhaps we should tell our friends here what really happened if there are insalubrious stories going round? F'lar knows, of course, but I'd hate to see anyone impugning your reputation."

Bendarek pulled a wry face.

"Well – all right. Gerney, you'd better explain."

Gerney told the two what had happened as concisely as possible: and received genuine expressions of sympathy for the girls.

"I'm seaholdbred" said Ch'sseri "And I know what it is to incur wrath for being different and to be regularly beaten. This sounds even worse. I'm glad you killed her, Elissa. It was brave." He hugged the girl.

She gave him a lopsided smile as she returned the friendly embrace.

"It was accidental" she admitted. "I wanted to have her hauled off to Lord Asgenar and strung up. But I guess I just hit her too hard. I was scared for Amula's life" she pulled a face. "Go away and bath. You smell. I smell. Come to supper: we've free time after. And it's a bubbly pie day."

"That's as good a reason as any to come to supper!" grinned D'vind, ruffling her hair. "See you later!"

Gerney watched them go with a raised eyebrow.

"You give them very cavalier treatment my dear."

"Well now I know they're no different to any young rider I might meet at High Reaches, I can treat them in a normal way" she said.

"Normal? Elissa, you're bossy!"

She laughed.

"Perhaps I was born to be a master!"

"Cheek! How should I take that?"

She looked him up and down, her brown eyes alive with dancing mischief.

"Perhaps you ought to spank me, Master." She suggested in a demure voice.

There was no-one left around; and Gerney gave her a brief and graphic demonstration of what he felt about that idea!

When the dragonmen joined them for supper, Elissa supposed she should not really be surprised when Ishelle apparently overcame her distain for the 'grubby boys' and joined them too.

The girl was desperate to find a way of avoiding marriage and all it could imply for a wealthy Holder girl like herself, used as a pawn to be sold to the highest bidder and expected to remain ignorant and pregnant. Yet the fate was not by any means inevitable; and Elissa privately thought that if the girl's parents were reasonable enough to permit her to pursue a craft, they would not force her to wed a man she disliked. Probably the girl had been fostered somewhere where the daughters had less choice in their own futures, and had assumed her own future would be similar if she did not take steps. Of course, her parents might be indulging her in the belief that she'd get this craft idea out of her head in time for them to marry off. Especially if her mother was moderately devious. Ishelle herself was a rather calculating girl; and Elissa could almost see the thought processes that brought her to their table. She must be aware by now that she was an adequate but not talented crafter and would never rise far. An excuse for her parents to take her back home. In a weyr, however, she could enjoy herself with or without lovers; and lose any unwanted pregnancies _between_. She might even have the chance to Impress. Elissa chuckled to herself as the girl worked hard to make herself charming to D'vind.

"Careful, Ishelle, you might make D'vind's lover jealous" she said, quietly.

"Oh? And who's that – you?" Ishelle managed to sneer.

Elissa chuckled.

"Hardly. I may be a tomboy, but I'm still physically female. D'vind isn't interested in females. His weyrmate is Ch'sseri there."

Ishelle paled and looked revolted.

"That's…." her voice began to rise.

"Perfectly normal for Blue and Green riders" finished Elissa, still in an undertone. "By all means go to the weyr, Ishelle – if it's what you truly want. But learn the rules first, it'll make life easier." She grimaced. "I suppose I'll even explain it all to you, what's acceptable and what isn't. And you should really talk to H'llon about High Reaches if you want the chance to Impress because we put girls to Greens there. If you just want the lifestyle, be frank with Ch'sseri and D'vind about wanting to go. You don't need subterfuge."

Ishelle stared at Elissa, unsure whether to be outraged at her bluntness or grateful for the information. She was by no means a stupid girl: and it occurred to her that Elissa's side of the conversation at least had taken place in an undertone. It would have been easy for the senior apprentice to embarrass her by pointing out the dragonmen's sexual preferences loud enough for Elissa's other friends to laugh at her.

"Thanks" she muttered, a little grudgingly.

Supper was a cheerful meal; Ch'sseri was a shrewd observer and had a wicked tongue. He painted graphic word pictures of some of the riders he had known, miming mannerisms to add to the effect; and the logicators fell about laughing. Even Ishelle joined in the laughter from time to time; but she looked very thoughtful when Ch'sseri did an impression of a stuck up female candidate who did not realise that she would be expected to work, and whose idea of weyr life was to lie in bed until noon, preferably with a handsome Bronze Rider!

Elissa had to wipe tears of mirth from her face at Ch'sseri's warbling falsetto imitation.

"Just like Prisca at High Reaches!" she chuckled. "Still, there's hope for her – our B'lova started off a bit like that, now she's as nice as bubbly pie!"

"B'lova? Your girls contract?" queried D'vind.

"It started with T'lan – that's Weyrwoman T'lana." Elissa explained. "She escaped from Nabol Hold dressed as a boy, and Impressed what everyone thought was a large Green, Mirrith. But Mirrith kept right on growing, and got golder and golder as she grew. And as she's laid a Queen egg herself, no-one questions but that she's just an unusual Queen. They teased the other junior Queenriders and called them L'rilly and Sh'rilla; and as Y'lara Impressed right when Sh'rilla did, it kind of stuck."

"You lot at High Reaches are pretty informal, I hear" said Ch'sseri.

"So I'm told."

"Maybe we'll put in for a transfer." He suggested.

"What – and lose the woodcrafter hall the friendliest faces from Benden?" quipped Elissa in mock horror.

"To be sure – if we get less hassle from the stuffy!" declared D'vind.

"While we're talking personnel, can I ask you boys if you know a rider called G'nal?" Elissa asked, having extracted the name of Gerney's father from Sahalla.

"G'nal? Yes, he's a veteran Brown Rider." Said Ch'sseri. "I wouldn't say he's aloof, it's just that talking to him's a lot like addressing a mountain covered in snow."

"A little reserved then?"

"Reserved? He's so reserved, I'd say it's surprising he unbent enough to find his dragon!" assessed Ch'sseri.

"Yes, but he's kind enough to the youngsters in his wing, even if he don't say much" put in D'vind. "He just keeps himself to himself."

"He's too close for most of us." Said Ch'sseri cheerfully. "You'd probably like him. He carves in his spare time too."

That, reflected Elissa, was what first attracted him to Sahalla!

126


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Ensconced in the lathecraft hall – which had become the indoor headquarters of the logicators – D'vind began their tale.

"You know that you see things from dragonback that you don't notice from the ground?"

Elissa nodded.

"I've explained it" she said.

"Well, we never took too much notice until you told us about logicating." D'vind went on. "And then this time, on our way back from fighting Thread, Ch'sseri noticed something odd. And he told F'lar: and F'lar said 'don't worry about it'. But we do."

"He was quite short with me" said Ch'sseri. "For all the world as though I was a hysteric like T'vol." He added indignantly.

"What did you see?" asked Teerel, leaning forward, interested.

"Well, I'd noticed before that you can tell if earth has been turned by the colour change – say a cotholder has turned it and dug it to plant vegetables. And when they then rest the earth and letting it lie fallow, the grass over the dug bed is also a different colour to the grass around it. And that's what I noticed. Strips of different coloured grass. Significantly different coloured grass, like it was dug deep. And although the strips were lined up, something about them just didn't look like old beds. I've seen enough, even if I've never taken much notice before. Especially as one had fresh earth on top of it. And I reckon they were about the length of a man…"

"Graves?" queried Elissa.

Ch'sseri nodded.

"It's what I guessed. I could be wrong."

"Could it be that several members of the family died – fevers or whatever?" suggested Gerney.

"I wondered that" said D'vind. "But I doubt you'd get thirteen adults in that cot. None was the small grave of a child. And some seemed older than others, because of the graduation in colour, which tends to rule out lots of sudden deaths by disease."

"Several successive generations?" asked Elissa.

"It's the most likely explanation." Said Ch'sseri. "Only…I have this feeling that the colour changes would vary MORE from grave to grave if they covered that sort of span of time. I felt uncomfortable about it; so it seemed best to ask you."

"The only way to settle the matter is to investigate it" said Elissa. "And I think it would be useful to take a quick look from above first. How many can you each carry?"

D'vind grinned.

"Bimoleth says, as many as necessary. I reckon between the two of us we can get everyone up. Apart from Master Gerney you're all fairly small and light.

"Then please thank Bimoleth for me – and Iphedeth too." Elissa smiled.

"I note" said Ch'sseri "That you treat everyone alike – from Dragons to apprentices. But always politely."

Elissa shrugged.

"It's a principle T'lana established early on when she started logicating. We all have equal abilities to notice, and those who want to logicate have and use their powers of reasoning. Therefore anyone's opinion is as valid as another's, save in cases where specialist knowledge is required. For an opinion on the type of wood some shavings were from, Gerney would be the one to whom we listen; or Leichalle because it's her speciality though she's still an apprentice. To check if anyone has recently changed their behaviour or lifestyle, we'd need to ask a drudge who cleans rooms and KNOWS when things are missing or misplaced or new."

"I see. It makes sense. It's a bit of a comedown for us flyboys – to be the new boys!"

"Yes, Ch'sseri: but you also have the eyes above the ground and the wit to pick out strange things. Not to mention the Green Rider's famous instinct that tells you something is wrong with a capital WRO."

Elissa helped Tirlo, Teerel, Kamar, Telfer and Sadvia onto Bimoleth, making sure that Telfer sat behind Sadvia. Telfer gave her a quizzical look and she gave him an unrepentant half shrug. On Iphedeth she manoeuvred Kyal and Alaran to the back so she could lean against Gerney.

"Good job you're all light weights!" called Ch'sseri. "Here goes!"

Iphedeth lifted off a little heavily; but soon maintained steady flight. It was deep dusk, but Timor shone brightly.

"We could go _between_ time to just after we came to see you" suggested Ch'sseri. "That way it'd be daylight."

"Make it so." Elissa decided.

It felt strange going from chill dark into the black cold of _between_ only to emerge into sunlight. Of course a change in time was routine for dragonriders who would often transfer across timezones; but to the passengers it was a novel experience. But Ch'sseri was right; it would make it easier to see.

There were undeniable thirteen ex holes – or graves. They were neatly lined up. And the afternoon shadows showed slight mounds for all of them. The raised earth clinched the matter – as Elissa pointed out when they returned. These holes had been dug over a period of turns – but not decades. Any family who lost so many adult members so quickly was indeed unfortunate. And it did seem truly unlikely that so many could squeeze into a small cot.

"Of course the last laugh could be on us if it's nothing more than shifting tuber beds because the soil is quickly exhausted – but we must know." Said Elissa.

"What do we do?" asked D'vind. It seemed quite natural to the young man to defer to Elissa and her relatively wide experience.

Elissa exchanged a look with Gerney.

"I'd say it would be courteous to take your findings and our collective conclusions to Lord Asgenar: and ask what he wants to do about it." She said. "I'd suggest a visit on the ground to glean more information was in order; but I think we must consult him first."

D'vind nodded.

"We'll see him before we return home." He said.

D'vind and Ch'sseri returned in the morning and wandered into the latheshop. It was not a lesson that Alaran or Elissa attended; they and the three T's were in the Marquetry hall. The two dragonriders took long enough to ask a few intelligent questions and praise the work of the more able; and ruffled Beka's hair as she helped Gerney by pottering around behind him. They tried to make the effort to be nice to the four little girls the logicators had rescued to help make up for their experiences; and as they had, like most young men, no idea how to tell young females apart, were usually nice to Kisra and Seeta too. It was, as Kisra said, always nice to get extra sweetmeats.

In the Marquetry hall, Master Tuon was keeping his distance from Elissa. Since her appearance in a dress he had at first been more attentive, leaning over her and patting her hand,

Wearing gloves, Elissa had harvested some itch-leaf she had found growing in the brushland edging the woods; and had tied it into her hair. When Master Tuon stroked her on the head as she knew he would, from what Sadvia had told her, he got a shock. Elissa had pointed out dreamily that it was funny how itch-leaf got into the strangest places. She had been staring hard at his breeches when she said it. Tuon got the point immediately; and Elissa was free to work with no further trouble. And to give him his due, the master marked her fairly.

D'vind and Ch'sseri grinned at Gerney when he found time to give them attention.

"When can we talk to everyone?" asked D'vind.

"Mid morning break. Two hours." Grunted Gerney. "Kamar, you may take time to send message to the others. Be sure and explain to each Master that you have a message for an apprentice from me."

"Yes, Master. Thank you, Master!"

"Don't thank me, you horrible scrub. It's to save me from strangling you over what you are doing to that poor piece of wood!"

Kamar grinned and shot off before Gerney could change his mind!

Ch'sseri went and flattered a jug of hot klah and some sweet cakes out of Saranna and brought them to the lathehall for the break. The logicators voted him a capital fellow for the unexpected treat of cakes!

"Lord Asgenar said we were right to bring the matter to him" said D'vind. "Also that as we had noticed it, we should have the Right to follow it up and find out if there was a good explanation. So we need to know how to go about following it up."

"If I may be blunt" said Elissa "You'll not find a fardling thing by swanning in as Dragonriders. People tell riders what they think they want to hear. Ask Bronze rider M'gol." She added as they looked shocked and unbelieving. "Ideally someone should visit the cot on foot, ostensibly as a harmless traveller, nosing around asking questions. Others could be around, hiding, to watch out for his or her safety."

"If that 'or her' refers to you" said Gerney grimly, "I don't think I want you risking yourself again."

Elissa opened her mouth to argue: looked at Gerney's face and shut it again.

"As you wish, Gerney" she acquiesced, surprising herself at least as much as she surprised the other logicators!

"See?" Alaran whispered darkly to Sadvia. "She doesn't even argue any more in case he jumps down her throat!"

"I was thinking" said D'vind "If we took Gerney and you four senior apprentices…"

"And Telfer." interrupted Elissa. "He's older than any of us, and an experienced logicator. He's only been held back by circumstances."

"Very well, and Telfer" amended D'vind. "If we land behind the hillock and come forward, we could all look at ground level. A row of willows along the stream should hide us and the diggings from the cot window. Then Ch'sseri and me could go in pretending to be traders. If you people could let us use some bits and pieces to look authentic."

"That's an excellent plan, D'vind" admired Elissa. "Though I wonder if two traders might seem a little threatening."

"We'll toss for it." Said Ch'sseri.

"And the rest of us will stay close" said Telfer. "Pity neither of you has a firelizard to warn us with."

"But ours can perch where they can see in the windows" suggested Elissa.

"If we're asking lodging, it were best to do it late in the afternoon – and they'll be putting up the shutters" protested Kyal.

"If it's that late, it'll be easier to creep right up and listen. Telfer has the best ears I know" said Elissa. "Spending time blind has compensations I guess."

"You've been blind?" gasped D'vind. "No wonder you've been held back! It must have put a severe crimp in your woodworking!"

Telfer smiled; and it was a measure of the boy that it was a smile entirely without bitterness.

"I did not start woodcrafting until I became blind. I was a cotholder's son. My family didn't want anyone useless like a blind boy, especially as I was a reminder of my uncle's carelessness with a flamethrower that set light to the barn. He pressed the plunger indoors. A beam fell on me when we were getting the animals out. Oh, they didn't throw me out" he shrugged "But I heard the whispers that 'it would have been better if the boy had died'. When I heard about the one legged trader who was taking crippled children to safety in High Reaches Weyr I left home and found him. I met Woodcrafter Journeyman Bronze Rider H'llon, and I loved the smell and feel of wood. The Weyr gave me Softy here to be my eyes" he caressed the little brown firelizard, who crooned happily "and I learned to carve by touch because H'llon believed in me. But precision work requires eyes. I regained some sight; but Master Oldive thought some scar tissue was pressing on my left eye. He performed an operation to remove it; and if I never see as well as most folk, it's a deal better than none at all. And since the operation it's so much better!"

It was the first time Telfer had told his story. It was old news to Elissa, but the others exclaimed in sympathy and admiration for his bravery.

"You let the healer cut into you?" Ch'sseri gasped.

"Sure, why not?" shrugged Telfer. "He knows what he's doing. And if he was not prepared to cut people, we'd have lost a Queenrider for sure. It wasn't long after you left" he added as an aside to Elissa. "L'rilly got a growth inside her, and she'd have died and died hard at that if Master Oldive had not cut it out. Ch'sseri, our own Calla can whip out an appendix. Has done for several cotholders."

Ch'sseri swallowed. Seabred, he had been brought up hidebound: and knowledge of operations had fallen off. Outside the Healer Hall they were almost unknown, partly due to loss of knowledge generally and partly due to Fax's refusal to permit Harpers to teach. Ch'sseri swallowed several times more; and patted Telfer on the arm. It was a gesture that acknowledged a man's bravery, not patronised a boy.

"Moving swiftly on" cut in Elissa "Because break is running out and I need the necessary, it's a good plan. Can you boys wheedle some meat rolls out of Saranna so we can go tonight instead of staying for the evening meal?"

Ch'sseri nodded.

"Sure we can!" he grinned.

Elissa managed to corner Gerney after lunch for a passionate embrace.

"I'm glad you're not doing it." He said, stroking her rich brown tresses.

"And I'm glad some of us grown ups are going along to protect those two precious and earnest babes!" commented Elissa.

"They're dragonriders!" he protested.

"Most of whom never fully grow up. Think on, love, you almost have to retain a degree of boyish abandon to even think about tackling Thread."

"Maybe" he was dubious.

She laughed.

"They are very enthusiastic!" she said. It was not necessarily a compliment!

The mounds were not immediately obvious from ground level; but the logicators knew where to look. Once they had found them, it became very apparent that they really were graves, not tuber beds!

Ch'sseri had won the toss; and with a nervously jaunty grin, he set off for the cot with his trader's pack on his back.

The cot door was opened by an almost toothless old crone; and a man as old or older stood behind her. The wrinkled faces were wreathed in smiles.

"A trader!" croaked the old woman. "Come in, dear boy, come in. we so rarely see a good marksman. Take off your pack and sit down. My husband will fix you klah."

Ch'sseri murmured thanks, and sat. He gave a startled yelp as the old woman fell on his feet to clamp his ankles: just as her husband threw a cord around the young Green Rider's neck!

The yelp probably saved Ch'sseri's life – for in swarmed the logicators, led by D'vind, who hit the old man hard with the heel of his hand. He reeled back, and D'vind knelt down beside his lover.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Ch'sseri nodded, rubbing the rope burn on his throat.

"Is this how you killed the others, out back?" Elissa asked the old woman.

She nodded, too surprised to dissemble.

"Yes."

"Why?" Elissa could not understand. The old woman spat.

"They was well off. Us'n wasn't. we took what they had. We deserved more out of life."

It was as simple as that.

Elissa had a feeling that this terrible old couple did not even really comprehend the enormity of what they had done. She nodded to the others.

"Bind them." She said. "D'vind and Ch'sseri must take them to Lord Asgenar for judgement. The rest of us must damp down the fire and see any stock fed and watered until the Lord Holder sends an interim cotholder."

It turned out that the old couple kept no stock; so no animals needed caring for. They bought in meat with their ill-gotten gains.

Asgenar was horrified when the dragonriders brought him their prisoners and told him the story. It was not only the casual barbarity of the murders that shocked him, but that relatively ordinary people could be driven to such monstrous acts, first by poverty, then by habit! He demanded that the old couple describe all their victims as far as they were able – and set his under stewards to the task of checking up and cross checking missing persons. It would in all probability take years to clear up. In the meantime, he had the pair separated and sent to different holds to work off their debt: they could not restitute the dead, and it was almost impossible to find living relatives of their victims right away. Instead he decreed that they should pay debt to society as a whole. Besides, while they were alive and working, they might yet remember more details that would help identify their victims.

Asgenar sighed. But on the up note, at least the bright eyed dragonmen had spotted the discrepancy – and prevented any more murders!

Elissa's unofficial fosterlings were glad to have her back. They quite enjoyed being visited by the dragonmen, and were far less suspicious of receiving gifts and attention from men than from women. It was something Elissa promised herself she would have to talk to them about when they were a little older and a lot more settled. In the meantime, all the love and attention that could be given them was good. Though they had had no one to turn to in Sandrina's cot – or perhaps because of it – they were inclined to cling to her rather. Tahnee was the most independent; and had besides reached an age when she was almost verging on womanhood and was very jealous of her dignity and pride. Even so, she would still climb into bed with Elissa, shaking and in tears after a particularly bad nightmare. Fortunately, Elissa was herself young enough to murmur just enough soothing words and fall asleep again herself; so her rest hardly suffered. And the nightmares were getting less frequent. At first, all of the girls had had nightmares most nights, but now they often went a sevenday or more without a disturbed night! Tahnee had several more nightmares as her body went through its transition into technical womanhood; the blood frightened her, and at first she thought it was because of the things Sandrina had done: and was afraid to tell anyone. Fortunately Elissa heard her crying in her bed and went to her; and finding the sticky drying cloth Tahnee was hiding daily to conceal the evidence said matter-of-factly,

"Oh! You're having a period. Has someone explained them to you?"

Tahnee stared, big eyed, shaking her head.

Elissa searched frantically for a delicate way of explaining; and eventually gave up and gave Tahnee a very down to earth, not to say earthy, exposition on the workings of the female body. Tahnee wrinkled her nose a couple of times; but was so relieved to find she was not dying that the reality was unthreatening in comparison.

"Having babies must be awful difficult." She said.

"So I gather." Elissa said. "Not having done so, can't say. Still, most women scream a lot or swear – T'lana has a vocabulary to shame a seaholder when she really gets going, Sagarra says – and then when it's all over they get all misty eyed and soppy about the baby and think it's beautiful even when it's red and squally." She shrugged. "I guess I'll be the same when I start breeding. After all, there's something wonderful in producing a whole new person out of love, isn't there?"

"I suppose. Did the dress work?" she asked suddenly. Elissa gave a naughty little giggle.

"I'll say. But it's all a big secret because I need to be a journeyman before I get married."

Tahnee snorted.

"He'll not make you give up craft, will he?" she asked anxiously.

Elissa shook her head.

"D'you think I'd fall for a man that would? Sensible Elissa?" she laughed. "C'mon, our Tahnee, let's get you some proper absorbants and put this grotty cloth out to wash."

Isrona had wakened at the sound of voices; but seeing the two girls go together to the bathing complex with a stained cloth, she decided to leave it all to Elissa. After all, the girl Tahnee trusted the senior apprentice; and Elissa could be relied upon to give good advice and help in practical ways. More so than many of her elders!

Ishelle complained in the morning about being kept awake.

"Whatever were you and Tahnee whittering on about?" she asked.

"Female problems." Said Elissa, cheerfully.

"What?"

"Bleeding. Not being much fun to start when you've not got a mother there to explain it."

Ishelle looked mystified.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Elissa stared at her. Presumably THAT was why her parents hadn't married her off yet – waiting for a late starter! For the second time in a few hours she explained carefully; and Ishelle burned.

"Tell me you're joking!" she whispered, the bored sophisticate giving way to a very scared little girl, despite being Elissa's own age. "I –I mean, I knew babies tired people out, and avoiding having them was good, but this is – this is ICKY! And – and – it sounds really painful!"

"I'm not joking." Elissa was serious. "But it's not so bad if you keep fit. As to having babies, well I guess it is pretty painful. I thought you must know all about it as you were so keen to avoid being wed."

Ishelle shook her head.

"People HINT you know; but – but I – I didn't even know what" she flamed "Men and women do together."

"Is that why you were so ready to insinuate and hint yourself? Because you weren't aware how serious the accusations you made could be, at least out of a weyr?"

Ishelle hung her head.

"I guess I just wanted to sound grown up by saying the same sort of gossip older girls say." She said. "And I don't really fit in here, because I'm not very good; and my parents are bound to take me away with that as an excuse. So I wanted to gripe at people. Especially the so talented Elissa, friend of a Bronze Rider, weyrbred with no shackles." Her voice was bitter.

Elissa hugged her.

"Shards, Ishelle, if I'd only known, I'd have been nicer to you!" she declared. "Still, it's not too late to be friends. And it's certainly not too late to send you to the weyr – though I should think you've probably missed this hatching. And you'll know at least one person there because Lusya will be there!"

Ishelle pulled a face.

"I've said unkind things about her too." She said.

"Tell her what you told me." Said Elissa. "Or, if you prefer, I'll write to her and explain. How about that?"

"Would you?"

"Certainly! Now, c'mon girl. Let's scoot or all those greedy boys will have eaten all the breakfast!"

134


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Elissa was working on a press when the small apprentice approached her.

"Excuse me, senior apprentice, but Master Bendarek asked me to tell you that Brown Rider G'nal is here and wishes to speak with you."

"IS he, by the First Egg!" exclaimed Elissa.

"Yes, of course, or I'd not have brought the message." Declared the child.

Elissa gave him a thoughtful look.

"You're a relative of H'llon's, aren't you?"

"Second cousin. On his mother's side. Why?"

"Never mind. At least you can answer a question fully and volunteer information; that's good. If you were supposed to take a reply back, please inform the dragonman that I shall be along presently. I'm finishing this."

The diminutive apprentice nodded and dashed off. Elissa knew that her words would be delivered exactly. G'nal might be her beloved's father but she would not leap to his beck and call. And he could only have heard about her from her two Benden friends; which suggested that he may have leaned on them for information. Pulling rank was not something of which Elissa approved.

Elissa entered Master Bendarek's office, and after dropping the master a curtsey of profound respect, fixed G'nal with a steely stare.

"I do hope, Brown Rider," she said mildly "You haven't been bullying Ch'sseri too much – being as how he's inclined to blurt things out when he feels pressured."

The rider was taken aback!

"Bullying – no I fardling haven't! Girl, I don't know you at all!"

"No. Nor do I know you, sir" she said calmly. "That's why I asked those two boys if they knew you. I wanted to know more about you."

"Know about me?" The cheek of the girl! "Why?"

"Because I'm planning on marrying your son."

"Gerney is a DRAGONMAN'S son?" Bendarek was taken aback.

"Son? I have no son!" said G'nal.

Elissa blinked.

"Sahalla never told you?" she asked. "She told Gerney who his father was….so he knew that the getting of him was by choice and consent. I had the impression you were quite fond of each other." She was cross with herself for making an assumption!

"Ah. Yes." G'nal looked sheepish. "I remember Sahalla well. It was a long time ago. Almost…almost thirty turns."

"Actually a little more." Said Bendarek dryly. "If you count the nine months from the initial, er, event."

G'nal shook his head, amazed.

"I have a son who is thirty? It's almost inconceivable!"

Elissa gave a gurgle of laughter.

"Poor choice of words." She said.

He gave her an old fashioned look; but the ghost of a smile travelled briefly across his lips.

"If Ch'sseri hadn't told me you were weyrbred, I should think that a comment like that would have."

She grinned; then looked serious.

"Did Ch'sseri tell you willingly?"

"I told you, girl, I didn't bully him. He was looking at me quizzically and I asked why; and he asked if I knew you. I said, not to my knowledge and asked what it was all about. He held forth about some organisation you run here to solve mysteries and problems. Seems he's pretty proud to be associated with you. Said you'd asked about me. Naturally I wanted to know what made me the business of some carpenter girl." He spoke with some asperity; though her frank eyes and friendly manner were appealing, he reminded himself that she was still just a chit of an apprentice!

"That makes a lot of sense; I am sorry to have doubted you, sir. Thank you for explaining. Now, do you want to meet Gerney? It may be thirty turns later than you might have wished, but better late than never, huh?"

He stared at her.

"You don't even mean to be insolent, do you?" he asked. "You just treat all folk alike. I didn't believe Ch'sseri when he said it."

"All people are alike – in the basics. We all hope, fear, love, hate, desire and aspire. Some overcome basic human fears better than most; that's why they are dragonmen and worthy of respect for the job they do. But respect is not the same as grovelling. And dragonmen need love as well; we all do. And I love my friends. I'm sorry I was snippy at first; I thought you might have pulled rank on Ch'sseri, and he's one of the people I consider I have to protect."

G'nal laughed.

"You need to protect a fully blooded dragonman? I like it. Now I understand the comment he made to D'vind about seeing to his grazed knuckles in case mother checked up on him! You're mother!" he laughed again. Elissa pulled a rueful face.

"Overtrained at High Reaches I guess." She said. "Now do you want to meet him or not?"

He became serious.

"Yes. Yes I do."

"Come on then," she held out a friendly hand to him.

"Elissa." Bendarek spoke sternly. "Do you really want to spring something like this on Gerney without warning?"

She looked contrite.

"No, Master, I'm sorry. I was overenthusiastic. In a weyr, no-one would bat an eyelid, but it'll be shock enough without what anyone who overheard might say. Still, G'nal looks enough like Gerney for anyone who's seen him to guess. Funny, I always thought he looked like Sahalla."

Bendarek surveyed the Brown Rider.

"It's in the eyes, I think. But you underestimate your own powers of observation, I think, Elissa. Most people will look at the Brown Rider and think he looks vaguely familiar. Few are trained to the extent of the logicators."

"But his voice is like Gerney's too."

"DO you mind?" G'nal spoke acidly.

Elissa beamed brightly.

"Not at all." she said, politely.

He shook his head. How could the girl be weyrbred and yet behave with this easy familiarity!

"I wonder how you'd get on if you addressed Brown Riders thus in High Reaches." He said.

She blinked.

"Well, there's only about half a dozen Brown Riders I know really well, to chat to as you might say" she said "But you're family, aren't you?"

He gaped, lost for an answer.

"You should perhaps remember, Brown Rider" said Bendarek dryly "That High Reaches operates a policy of plain speaking equality. When they visit the woodcrafter hall, they tend to treat the people here as equals; and ask for things, rather than making peremptory demands."

G'nal flushed.

"I was initially irritated at some apprentice asking impudent seeming questions" he said. "I did not mean to offend the Mastercraftsman." He added "But you seem to have been able to get the message to her that she was to put me in my place by making me wait."

"It was not the message I sent!" protested Bendarek. Elissa grinned.

"Truly, master? When you picked a boy who would faithfully deliver an accurate message?"

"Well…maybe subconsciously." Bendarek admitted. "I was… taken aback."

"I have said that no insult was intended." said G'nal. Elissa smiled warmly at him.

"I think we've been misunderstanding all round." She said. "Start again?"

"You're priceless!" he managed. She laughed.

"Gerney says, I'm a pernicious brat."

"Oh? I like my son already."

"I'll have to tell him. Shall I have klah sent while I go prepare Gerney?" she addressed the question to both.

"A good idea." Agreed Bendarek. "G'nal, as we're agreed not to be touchy at each other, I have a bottle of good Tillek white here that H'llon brought me. Why don't we broach it?"

Elissa slid into the latheshop. The boys were just packing up. She waited for them to leave; and bestowed a hug on Beka.

"Sweeting, I have something private to talk to Gerney about. Will you go find the other girls for a while?" she asked. Beka looked obstinate for a moment then nodded.

"Can you tell me later?" she asked..

"Perhaps." Said Elissa. "It depends on Gerney."

After Beka had, rather unwillingly, left, she firmly put her arms around her love. He kissed her half absently as he set tools in racks; and she helped him sort the mayhem in order to get the sort of kiss to which he gave his full attention.

"Dear one." She said. "I got nosy, and started asking questions."

"Give me news, not history" he grunted. "And you're in trouble?" he was concerned.

"N-no. Only our one and only favourite Ch'sseri was persuaded to mention a question I had asked; and we have a visitor."

"Oh? Trouble for the Hall?" he was even more alert. She shook her head quickly.

"Sahalla told me your father's name was G'nal. I asked a couple of casual questions about him, and he's here. He didn't know about you. Bendarek is pouring Tillek white and klah into him." She explained in a rush.

Gerney sat down heavily on a stool, going if anything paler.

"My father. Does – does he want to see me? Or would he rather not know?"

"He wants to meet you. He thinks he likes you – because you call me a pernicious brat."

He managed a rather tremulous smile.

"You are."

WWW

The two men stared at each other for a long moment; then they were gripping each other by the hand.

"Father?"

"My son! And a Master – so young! ….Three firelizards?"

Bendarek and Elissa withdrew.

"Interfering brat, aren't you?" said Bendarek, without rancour.

"Yes. Sorry, Master, it's not something that's like to change. H'llon trained me first" she shrugged apologetically.

"You're not sorry at all, you young minx."

She grinned.

"No, master. But I do try to be polite to my masters as is their due."

"I hope Gerney spanks you!" Bendarek spoke with feeling.

Elissa blushed!

"I'll tell him you recommend it…"

With Gerney's permission, Elissa told Beka Gerney's news. Her solemn eyes glowed.

"I'm so pleased for him!" she said. "I lost my daddy. Now I've found Gerney and he's fond his father too. So I have a real family again."

"We must take you to visit Sahalla, his mother, too" said Elissa. "We will be fostering Tahnee and Lianka too, you know – but they also have each other. That's why you need to know more."

Beka hugged Elissa with a stranglehold. Elissa held the child soothingly; she wondered if the child's previous babyishness had been an attempt to find the last time she was happy – when her father was alive. The fact that she seemed to be adjusting to her chronological age seemed to suggest that she felt happy once more; and for that Elissa was delighted. She intended to try to make it stay that way!

Gerney had started work on a craftcot for himself and Elissa; for his single room in the crafthold would prove inadequate. Masons he paid for, but supervised the wooden structural skeleton himself, with advice from Master Challer on hammer beams. Gerney believed in making the cot big enough to grow to, rather than have to add rooms haphazardly should their family expand; and extra rooms meant he could easily put up friends and relations from High Reaches too. He also set to work on furnishing their marital home; and with this Elissa could help. She was already making another cold store cupboard for her own use! Gerney turned legs for chairs and tables; and worked carefully on a headboard for their bed. Though carving was not his first joy, he was very good, and soon knot patterns and intertwined dragons began to emerge across the rich wood.

Gossip was of course rife about why the lathemaster should suddenly feel the need to move to larger quarters; and Alaran and Elissa both found themselves pestered with questions, as his special apprentices. Alaran did not know: and said so. He also mentioned that minding of other folk's business made him tetchy. Elissa affected similar ignorance by shrugging; and also pointed out that the master's business was his own and no business of all and sundry. She found herself put on a water diet for a week for saying so to a journeyman; but Alaran told Gerney who blasted the journeyman in question for his nosiness and revoked the punishment. Alaran was relieved that Gerney's sense of fair play did still operate as far as Elissa was concerned; and said so. Gerney stared; laughed; and damned the boy's impudence cheerfully. Alaran could not make it out at all. Of course the logicators cried shame on the disinterested attitude shown by the pair; and Alaran admitted personal curiosity.

"But he's my special master and I'll not have others making their snide comments" he said. Snide comments there had been; Gerney's well known dislike of female apprentices had led a few people to speculate on his precise relationship with the visiting dragonriders! The logicators laughed these theorists to scorn; and continued to speculate for themselves. All except Telfer and Tirlo, that is; who knew or had guessed the true reason! Tirlo winked knowingly at Elissa as she shrugged for the umpteenth time; and she twinkled back. She appreciated that the boy recognised her desire for privacy and held his own council; and told him so. He grinned.

"W-well, w-we'd all be p-pleased for you b-both, b-but I g-guess if you w-want it kept quiet, I can" he told her.

"Master Bendarek ordered that we keep it quiet until I make journeyman" she explained. "A long secret" she made a face. "But there's no harm getting the place prepared."

Tirlo was delighted not only to get his guessing right, but that he should be offered the explanation for the secrecy!

Elissa was glad when H'llon arrived on a minor errand as a pretext to telling them that Lusya was now L'sya; and agreed to take her and Gerney to the Weyr to see her parents. She secured leave from Bendarek, and left Gerney to manufacture an errand. She also spoke to H'llon about Ishelle; and found him amenable once he knew the fear in which the girl held marriage.

"It might" he suggested "Be better to wait until there is another clutch; we don't want High Reaches getting a reminder of the days when girls were taken willy nilly as drudges." Elissa concurred; remembering that her mother had been one such girl! She explained the matter to Ishelle, who was disappointed; but pleased to have a decision explained to her. It was not a habit her parents had!

Tahnee, Lianka and particularly Beka were not happy to see Elissa go.

"Girls, I want to see my other kin!" she told them. "And I'll be back soon!"

"Supposing you Impress a dragon while you're there and can't come back?" suggested Beka tearfully. Elissa wiped her damp face with a resin stained handkerchief and replied cheerfully,

"Well, that would be a feat, for there's no eggs at the moment! You heard H'llon's news – hatching has been and gone, and it's our L'sya who'll ride a dragon! Now, I've got but three days leave, as befits an apprentice visiting kin; and it will soon go! You know I'd not leave you in the lurch; why" she twinkled at them "I've half a box set turned that I'm leaving!"

They managed a laugh at that sally; and she kissed them all fondly.

"Can't we come?" asked Lianka, wistfully.

"Another time" promised Elissa. "But not this time. When I'm Journeyman I can call you all my fosterlings and ask leave for you. But not yet."

And with that they had to be satisfied.

Elissa's parents were delighted to meet their prospective son-in-law after all they heard about him from their daughter's often rather sketchy letters; and from H'llon's unreserved praise. They had not told H'llon why they were asking about Gerney, lest it colour what he say – it would not have done, but they had still not really adjusted to H'llon's outspoken ways. H'llon assumed that they merely wanted to know more about the special master under whom their daughter was studying!

Privately, Elissa's mother was delighted that her daughter was actually formalising the relationship by getting married; and she kissed her daughter enthusiastically. She had a brief, euphemistic conversation with the girl concerning specific use of herbs; and Elissa managed to sound suitably interested and surprised without revealing that she had had a similar, but earthier, lecture from both Pilgra and T'lana before leaving for the woodcrafter hall in the first place. Elissa's father's advice to Gerney was pithier and more pointed.

"When the children start arriving, make sure you find spurious and lengthy errands to send them on in the morning after they've invaded your bed with their cold little feet; because you don't want to be trammelled by brats when you're feeling amorous."

Gerney turned brick red; but nodded!

All in all, the visit went well. Gerney was amazed at the lack of formality yet total discipline within the weyr. He could see what Elissa meant about it being like an extended family. As the time to leave came near, he walked with her up to the star stones to watch the moons rise.

"Any regrets, my love?" he asked, in some anxiety.

She shook her head.

"None at all. Why?"

"Leaving all this" he indicated with a sweep of his hand. "Giving up your chance to Impress….though I suppose we could visit at hatchings so as not to deny your chance …"

She put a finger to his lips.

"We'll avoid hatchings" she said firmly. "I don't want to risk having a part of my life I can't share with you. As for leaving…well, I love everyone here, of course I do. But coming back has made me realise more than ever that home is where you are. And I'm looking forward to going home with you to Lemos."

She wrapped her arms around him; and he kissed her with a passion partly born of relief. Yes. They would go home – together. And when she finally made journeyman, they could be together forever!

141


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Elissa's status, had she but known it, was under discussion back at the woodcrafter hall.

Carving master Isimy burst in on master Bendarek waving a sheet of paper. Bendarek looked up mildly at the big man.

"Yes Isimy?"

"Ben, is it my idiot cousin Gerney holding the girl back because she's a girl?" he demanded bluntly.

Bendarek blinked.

"I beg your pardon?" he enquired mildly.

Isimy scowled.

"Elissa. For her invention of this moveable print alone she should be made up to journeyman – with a view to founding a new school as Masterprintmaker. Her woodblock cuts are superb – even if she's not so skilled a free carver as some. But she's still better than many journeymen. She claims to have no imagination, but Fardles! Can that girl copy what she sees in nature! I'm not the only one to think she makes the grade. Challer is pleased with her; and Idoghen. Tirris is satisfied. Even Tuon praises her work more than her arse! And I've seen her turned stuff; it's extremely good. Now tell me why you're not going to post her?"

Bendarek finally got a word in edgeways.

"Her age, Isimy. Nothing to do with Gerney. He'd be happy, I think, to see her posted immediately" happier than you'd think, he thought in grim amusement. "but she is only fifteen turns."

Isimy snorted.

"I don't think it's just the partiality of an honorary cousin that I think the girl is a good deal more mature than many of twenty turns. Didn't you hear me? Even CHALLER approves of her. And you may not have noticed, but she's all but fostering those four kiddies those dratted logicators rescued. My Leichalle told me. It's not Isrona they run to; oh no, it's Elissa. Except apparently Beka; she's as happy to run to Gerney. Ah well, no accounting for tastes" his blue eyes twinkled at Bendarek; Isimy and Gerney were known to trade insults without malice from time to time.

Bendarek sighed. It was all true. But she was so young.

"Summon the other masters" he said. "I'll take a straw vote on it. Don't bother looking for Gerney; he went with H'llon when the boy collected Elissa to visit her parents. H'llon has a new way of driving a lathe."

It was not a lie. Gerney HAD expressed an interest in H'llon's water driven lathe.

When the woodcrafting masters were assembled, Bendarek addressed them.

"Master Isimy feels that a name has been left off the list of prospective journeymen" he said neutrally. "Do any of you concur?"

The masters checked the list.

"I've a suggestion" said Master Challer.

"Me too" put in Idoghen.

Tuon looked uncomfortable.

"There is an apprentice who shines" he said. "And although I do not personally LIKE this apprentice, I would hope that would not make me act unfairly."

Bendarek looked at him approvingly.

"Thank you Tuon. I appreciate your honesty. I respect your ability to overcome personal feelings."

Tuon flushed in pleasure. Since the affair of Jivana he had felt that Bendarek had been disapproving of him; and Elissa's blunt rejection of his flirting had made him take stock of himself.

Bendarek looked around.

"I should like each of you who has commented to write the name of the said apprentice on a slip of paper." He said. "if the same name comes up, I shall relent and add that name to the list. The rest of you I shall ask to comment later."

"What about Gerney?" asked Idoghen.

"I am aware of Gerney's opinions in the matter. He has, however, asked not to have his opinion added to any vote as he feels he is biased upon the subject."

Tuon gave a snort of laughter.

"I bet he is, confirmed misogynist that he is!" he said.

"He has his reasons for his bias" said Bendarek, serenely. He was very pleased with the discretion that Elissa and Gerney had shown that even the other masters were unaware of Gerney's partiality!

Bendarek received the slips of paper from his colleagues; and all had the same name. Elissa.

Tirris spoke up.

"I would vote, had I been one who spoke out, for the only apprentice I feel that you could mean; and I have conferred as well with Jointmaster Jaben and interim-Toolmaster Orris and they feel the same, though they rarely see her. I would add that although her colourwork is adequate rather than enthusiastic, she is careful with all her finishing. And no journeyman is required to be a paragon in all fields. We all felt that Senior Apprentice Elissa could be the only choice."

Bendarek pulled a rueful grin.

"Well I know when I'm beat!" he said. "Her papermaking is also well ahead of standard. I planned to hold her back solely on her age, but I see I cannot."

"Her age? Why is that?" Tuon was puzzled. "An apprentice of seventeen or eighteen turns is well able to support the position of journeyman."

Bendarek looked at him quizzically.

"Is that why you broke your usual self discipline about charming younger apprentices, Tuon?" he asked. "The girl is not long Turned fifteen."

Tuon looked startled.

"But she seems so – so…"

"Mature is the word you're looking for" growled Isimy.

"The girl is older than her age" Idoghen said quietly. "She is well able to support the position."

There was a murmur of assent: and Bendarek passed klah around. He only hoped that the decision would prove a good one for the young girl; for it seemed to him unfair to load her with the responsibility of being a journeyman when she was still young enough to be enjoying herself at the pranks of an apprentice. Then he laughed a little and sighed a little to himself. For did not Elissa already cheerfully shoulder responsibilities that were rightly no business of hers? The care she gave the abused girls, which had indeed sprung from her leadership of the logicators proved it. And there was no denying that the logicators did serve a real and useful purpose; it was more, far more, than a game to occupy their active minds. The other concern Bendarek felt was that there was no excuse to delay the wedding of Elissa and Gerney. He disapproved of the Holder habit of marrying off girls very young, and he feared that it might be a case of marrying in haste and repenting at leisure. Yet who could there be who suited either of them better than each other? Their relationship seemed based more on an easy camaraderie than lust; and perhaps that might be a recipe for greater success. He had given his word that they should marry once Elissa made journeyman; and he would not go back on his word.

"May I make a query, Bendarek?" asked Tuon, going on as Bendarek nodded, "I do notice that although you are posting Kyal, you are not posting his twin."

Bendarek shook his head.

"Sadvia is a good girl; and she works hard and has fun. But she lacks the degree of dedication it needs to be a journeyman. For her, I think it is an enjoyable hobby, to be carried on but not seriously after she marries, as I'm sure she will. She will not be bringing up children within the craft unless she marries within the craft; and I think her parents might be unhappy about that. She IS ranking. I like her too – not perhaps in the same way as you –" he smiled almost sympathetically at Tuon " – but I think she lacks the spark. Kyal does. It is, besides, important for the craft I feel, for our future Holder to have a stake in the craft, even after his duties prevent him from practising it much. But his father is young and Kyal has a chance of progressing a long way. I trust that answers your query."

Tuon nodded, flushing slightly.

"I have a query too" put in Challer.

"Indeed?" Bendarek was surprised.

"I want to know if everyone is happy for my daughter to be posted. I'm too partial to her to give a fair assessment."

Bendarek smiled.

"Her posting has been approved by all the others. And Challer – you're generally reckoned to be her harshest critic. The general assessment is" he smiled again "That she will never be a great craftsman. But her understanding of wood types and the way trees grow is generally held to be superior. We are a growing craft: and the time will come when we need a separate master in charge of planting and growing, who can work closely with the Timbermaster. I think your daughter will fulfil that need in due course."

Challer made several inarticulate noises; but looked pleased.

Bendarek was pleased to note that not one of the masters had opposed or even questioned the posting of young Telfer as journeyman, though he had been in the Crafthall but a short time. The lad had worked hard to catch up and overcome his previous disability, and reports of his work had been uniformly good. The apprenticeship he had served with H'llon had proved quite adequate. As in many ways had Elissa's. It was right that both should have been exposed to more aspects of the craft than those that interested H'llon; and Elissa had also made visible progress. Telfer might not have the girl's raw talent; but he was talented enough to do very well if he continued in the same way!

Back at the Weyr, H'llon detained Gerney for a chat.

"It's about Radall." The weyrwoodcrafter came directly to the point, referring to his youngest apprentice who had been born without legs. "In a turn or two he'll be old enough to enter an apprenticeship at the hall. And he gets around well enough; and in my workshop he's started to use the waterpowered lathe. But at the Woodcrafter Hall he'd be at a disadvantage."

Gerney nodded. He had met Radall and been impressed by the boy's enthusiasm.

"It would be all too easy" said the master "Just to excuse him lathework. But not really fair."

"Besides, he shows some early promise." Said H'llon. "I don't want to see him stopped by something that's not his fault."

"Mmm." Agreed Gerney. "As you say, it's a turn or two before he may enter; and five before he must. A lot can happen in that time – especially when he's apprenticed to someone inventive like you!"

H'llon grinned.

"I wondered about having a canine run in a wheel, same as the great Hold kitchens do to turn the spits." He said.

"It could work. And I'll look into the possibility of powering a lathe. Another alternative is to persuade another apprentice to help. First Egg knows, I've plenty who are enthusiastic treadlers but who scarcely know one end of a chisel from another. If Radall made an arrangement to share a small proportion of his profits to such a lad, he's probably find a volunteer or two."

H'llon smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, master." He said.

"My very good boy, it seems to me ridiculous that a Bronze Rider should be so formal with his own cousin. Especially" he grinned suddenly, lighting up his rather harsh face "When his cousin is planning on marrying the Bronze Rider's apprentice."

H'llon looked stunned for a moment; then, beaming all over his face, he pumped Gerney by the hand, offering congratulations. Then he frowned, a puzzled frown.

"But will Master Bendarek permit it?" he asked.

"We are to wait until she is a journeyman; and keep the matter quiet until then. But I felt – we both felt – that you ought to know."

The Journeyman Bronze Rider grinned again.

"You'll not have many turns waiting." He said confidently. "Elissa is good."

When they had returned to the Crafthall, Gerney took himself off to the empty latheshop to check that all was in order.

But it was not empty.

A small boy sat on a stool, treadling furiously. He had no chisel, nor even wood in the stock: he just treadled.

Gerney strode forward grimly.

"What do you think you are doing?"

The boy turned, his face sullen, his eyes sliding out of contact with Gerney's. the master recognised him as H'llon's oldest nephew, Kispre, a boy of some eight turns.

"Treadling" answered Kispre laconically. Gerney's mouth tightened. He had heard whispers that Kispre was a troublesome lad. He certainly seemed to unable to manage the usual courtesies.

"You can stop that right now. Let's be taking you back home where you should be, lad." He said harshly. "No-one below journeyman status is allowed in these workshops alone."

"Can't go home." It sounded cheeky; almost triumphant. But Gerney was prompted by some sixth sense to ask,

"Why not?"

"Father said 'get out, get out of my sight and stay out until you've learned to behave.' I don't know how to behave so I can't go home."

Gerney was nonplussed! He had himself learned quite young that people often said things they did not mean literally; and he had noted that some of his kin had more trouble interpreting exaggeration and figures of speech than those outside the family. Kispre seemed to be taking it to extremes. And now he had obediently stopped treadling he had wrapped his arms around himself and was rocking back and forth.

"What do you mean, you don't know how to behave?" he asked more quietly, putting an arm around the lad. Kispre tried to shrug it off; but Gerney held him firmly. The boy seemed like a hurt animal!

"Well I guess I don't, because when father shouts at me and mother slaps me I don't always know why. And sometimes the rules of good and bad seem to change."

Gerney asked,

"Can you think of a 'for instance'?"

Kispre considered.

"Father always says to tell the truth. But I got into trouble for telling the truth when mother had a new gown."

"What did you say?" Gerney couldn't resist asking.

"I told her it was too tight and made her look fat" said Kispre. Gerney hid a smile. Prelaia was a vain woman and had probably refused to acknowledge to herself that she needed gowns cut a little more generously these days!

"Sometimes" said Gerney carefully "There are different ways of telling the truth so it doesn't hurt people's feelings. It might have been nicer to say, 'mother, I don't think that gown suits you as well as' – and mention one that does."

Kispre frowned.

"Why didn't father tell me that instead of belting me?" he asked.

"Because your father is – because your father was upset that your mother was made unhappy by what he saw as a cruel remark." Gerney amended his first hasty comment. Kispre gave him a sharp look.

"That wasn't what you had been going to say."

"No. It's truth though. And it's not nice to say hard things to a lad about his father. I didn't want to upset YOU."

Kispre digested this.

"So it's not always right to tell all the truth?"

"Yes. Generally a good rule is, if what you want to say is not nice, it's better to keep your mouth shut or find a different way of saying it. Unless you are in a situation where you have to report wrongdoing of a serious nature – cruelty or dangerous behaviour."

"Your rules are easier to understand."

Gerney sighed inwardly.

"Look, I'll have a word with your father. Perhaps he'll agree to me fostering you" he added, "Do you like treadling?"

The boy nodded eagerly.

"It's very calming." He said. "Especially when I'm angry or unhappy. It – it's RELIABLE" he explained.

"Then perhaps you'd agree to help me to help an apprentice of your uncle H'llon's" suggested Gerney. "He's a turn or so older than you; and he was born without any legs. When he comes here, if you could help him by treadling, I imagine he'd help you prepare for an early apprenticeship."

"Born without legs? Not any legs?" Kispre was fascinated. "How does he get around? Does he have to be carried?"

Gerney shook his head.

"His arms are really strong – he can walk using his hands as feet. And H'llon has made him a special chair on wheels for going fairly fast on the flat. It has big wheels he can turn with his hands, and a screw like on the lathe stools to adjust the height of his seat for working or eating. And the wheels lock so he can hold it still."

"Clever."

"H'llon is clever. And you know, Kispre, I think it might not be such a bad thing if you also spent some time visiting H'llon in the weyr and getting to know Radall. Maybe it'll give you some ideas for your own clever inventions" he smiled.

Kispre shook his head.

"I won't have clever ideas. I'm stupid."

Gerney was angry.

"Whatever gives you that idea?"

"Father says so. So does mother. Because I don't understand the simplest things."

"Well in the time I've been taking to you" growled Gerney acidly "I'd formed the opinion that you are a rather clever lad. It's just that…..you don't see the world in the same way as other people."

"How do other people see the world?" asked Kispre, interested. Gerney stifled a groan. He felt he was floundering about out of his depth here! Still, he had to find a way of answering the lad.

"Well…a lot of people use phrases we call figures of speech." Gerney searched desperately in his mind for a way to put it to Kispre. "If you ask someone a question, they might, if they don't know the answer, say 'First Egg knows'. They don't really mean that the first dragon to hatch REALLY knows – or knew – the answer. They mean 'I don't know, or care, and the likelihood of me bothering to find out is as remote as the time of the First Egg.' But that's kind of long winded; so they say 'First Egg knows' as a short cut. And that's kind of understood."

"Oh. Why not just say 'I don't know'?"

Gerney shrugged.

"I have no idea. It's just custom. I've learned to use figures of speech myself, though like you I had difficulty understanding their point when I was young. Like saying 'go fly yourself to the Red Star – oh fardles –" He added as his three sleeping firelizards rose squawking in agitation from his shoulders to disappear _between_. "It means 'go away' – but it's more emphatic. No-one expects the person they say it to TO actually fly to uh, that place." He modified as his lizards returned scolding. "And sometimes people exaggerate. Your father never meant you to stay away for good because you don't always understand him. He wanted you out of the way until he had calmed down – because he doesn't understand YOU any more than you understand HIM." Absently he stroked his unhappy firelizards until they were humming sleepily with pleasure.

Kispre asked,

"Do YOU understand me?"

Gerney considered.

"Not fully. But I think I understand more; and at least if we can admit to a breakdown in understanding, we can talk about it. And I understand H'llon, who's a lot like you; he used to get into trouble for taking things people said too literally. And Beka – one of the little girls I'm going to foster when I have a wife to be a mother for her – has been hurt and trained by a wicked woman to take orders exactly." Gerney considered for a moment; then quickly outlined the basics of the iniquitous order given by the previous toolmaster. Kispre was shocked.

"That was dreadful of him!" he said. "For everyone knows you must always do exactly what a Master tells you!"

Gerney nodded.

"But he never thought she'd actually do it. Lots of people speak without thinking and without really meaning what they say. The only way to be TRULY understood, Kispre, is to meet someone very special, a soul mate; or if you Impress a dragon. And there's nothing to stop you trying that as an option when you're older."

Kispre looked wistful.

"Your own dragon is never cross with you, is he?" he asked. Gerney shook his head.

"Never. And you're never alone. Why, even these silly creatures" – he fussed his silly creatures – "are special, because they're a part of you. Here, you stroke them."

Gently and wonderingly the little boy stroked contented firelizards. Gerney determined to ask H'llon to find some eggs for the younger members of his family – they would give all these children something outside themselves, and also the companionship and partisan protection that could help them adjust!

Gerney took Kispre temporarily to his cousin Isrona, to leave him in the care of Elissa and Kisra and 'his' three girls. After a quick debate with himself he thought that he should tell the boy that Elissa was his intended bride; but that only Beka knew because people might say unkind things as Elissa was only an apprentice still.

Kispre blinked.

"But you do want to marry each other? Her and you both?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then it's no-one else's business, is it?" said the boy.

Gerney clapped him on the shoulder and laughed.

"No, lad, it's not. But it's another strange thing about folk that they like to mind other folk's business – especially if they can disapprove of it."

Kispre sniffed.

"Well, I'll not talk about it" he said.

149


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Gerney found Kislan stamping about and shouting because his oldest son had disappeared. Gerney raised an eyebrow and said coldly,

"A word with you, journeyman Kislan."

It put it onto a formal footing.

"Master Gerney?" the journeyman mastered his irritation to speak respectfully.

"Has it not occurred to you" said Gerney, and his voice came from _between_, "That to give an order like 'get out and stay out until you know how to behave' to a child even more literal than H'llon might just have been taken as a direct order in order to please you by such a child who plainly has no idea either what he was in trouble over or what to do to earn your approval?"

"What?" Kislan looked confused for a moment. "Oh, yes, I did shout something like that to him in the heat of the moment. I was angry. The little so-and-so had taken my lathe apart instead of cleaning my workshop as I had told him to. But that's Kispre. How like him to pretend to think I meant it just to cause trouble! I'm sorry if he's been bothering you, Master: I'll take my belt to him as soon as he's back under my roof."

"You will NOT!" said Gerney forcibly. Kislan blinked as the master went on. "It seems to me that half the trouble you have with your son is a lack of communication. It seems plain to me that he interpreted 'clean thoroughly' as meaning the tools as well – and it would be no point sweeping until he'd got all the sawdust out from inside your lathe, would it? You also seem to think he deliberately and wilfully misunderstands you. Has it ever occurred to you that he really might not understand?"

Kislan stared.

"Well I know he's thick but…" he never finished the sentence because Gerney seized him by the tunic; and big as Kislan was, lifted him.

"As I might think you deliberately misunderstand your son – but for the fact that I know better and realise that you can't help being unimaginative, limited and hen-pecked!" he roared. Then he put the man down carefully. "I should apologise for that, Kislan; but I shan't. that little boy has been trying desperately to please you; but he can't figure out how. Your father was tolerant of H'llon's little idiosyncrasies. A pity you're not more like Kisron. There's a querk in our family that makes understanding people difficult. I know. I have it. But I've worked round it. So – mostly – has H'llon. So can Kispre. I think it missed you; so, unfortunately, has simple human compassion. I'm willing to foster the boy if you'll let me."

Kislan stared, open mouthed, two bright spots of colour on his cheeks.

"Then foster him by all means – master – and I shall laugh when you can't cope with the little bastard either!" he turned on his heel and marched into the family Crafthall, banging the door behind him with unnecessary vehemence.

Gerney sighed and shook his head.

"Oh my temper!" he said. "And I laugh about H'llon leaping in with both feet!" he shook his head again and went to report to Bendarek.

Bendarek also sighed and shook his head.

"An unfortunate business" he said. "I hope no 'prentices witnessed your tantrum?"

Gerney flushed, embarrassed.

"No" he said.

"Good. Then it is all within your family. There is, as you put it, a strange querk within your line; but it also seems to go with extraordinary talent and perception. It's a shame that Kislan and Prelaia cannot cope with Kispre; but if you think you can, by all means take him on and help him to learn to cope. It means" he twinkled "That you and Elissa hardly need worry about any physical relationship; you already have a ready made family!"

Gerney started to bristle until he realised that Bendarek was teasing him; then he laughed ruefully.

Bendarek poured klah; and said,

"I'm making the journeyman postings at the end of this sevenday. Do you think Telfer would be a good teaching assistant in place of Oran?"

Gerney made an indelicate noise.

"KISRA would make a better teaching assistant than Oran. The man can turn, but he's as much idea about keeping an eye on the young ones as a radish!"

Bendarek grinned.

"So you're happy for me to post Telfer as one of your new assistants when I've promoted him?"

"Thank you, yes. He's a patient lad – has had to be I imagine – and he sees more with his slightly damaged vision than many do with full sight. What happens to Oran?"

"There's a place for a good maker and mender of furniture at a small Hold downriver. I thought he'd do well there."

Gerney nodded.

"Yes, and he might well blossom out if not made to mind younkers. It will do him good. You said one of my new assistants – you mean to give me another?"

Bendarek nodded.

"It's a big group, the youngsters this turn. And next turn's intake looks like being large too. I'd a mind to consider giving you another journeyman."

"So long as I can have Telfer, I'll be fine." Protested Gerney. "When you promote Elissa, I could well use her; she can help with the little girls. Already does, actually."

Bendarek smiled.

"Very well" he promised, hugging to himself that Gerney would have his wish sooner than he hoped!

Elissa took to Kispre. He gave her some idea of what her beloved Gerney and dear H'llon had been like as boys; and gave her a foretaste of any sons she might have. Because the boy was intelligent and articulate she was able to understand more about his difficulties.

"I never MEAN to be insolent!" he cried, frustrated, as he explained what the problem was. "Only when people ask a question, how do I know if they won't like it and shout when I give them an answer?"

Elissa hid a smile. He really did sound like H'llon! She had watched countless young women try to chat up her Bronze Rider tutor, asking artless seeming questions designed to lead him into offering a compliment; only to find him answering their questions exactly and with no embroidery; and at times with devastating honesty. To ask H'llon's opinion on, for example, an item of apparel, was to invite an entirely honest answer. The Bronze Rider could not see the point of anyone asking a question if they did not want to have it answered! Elissa thought happily of the irritating and stuck up Carlinna who fancied herself as an artist. H'llon had given his honest opinion of her attempted portrait of himself; and the girl had been put right in her place! There was another incident that made Elissa smile to recall, when she had accompanied H'llon on a quest to acquire some hardwood from a Holder in Nabol. The Holder's daughter had attempted to engage the handsome Bronze Rider in conversation by remarking on the heat; and saying that she was wearing a new summer frock. H'llon, instead of (as the girl intended) saying how pretty she looked in it, agreed, saying that it was indeed warm. Trying again, the girl suggested that it was oppressively close, and made one quite thirsty. H'llon missed the invitation to make a cup of his hands for her to drink from the stream; and merely agreed equably. Later he had remarked to Elissa what a boring girl the Holder's daughter was, with no conversation besides the weather! Elissa had chosen not to enlighten him. It was an unspoken agreement amongst the women of High Reaches that H'llon's innocence should remain intact!

So, Elissa grinned conspiratorially at Kispre.

"Now I bet that they also get cross if they ask you a question and you answer exactly what they ask and no more."

"How did you know?"

"H'llon does that too. You see, sometimes when people ask a question there're implied bits they don't come right out and say that you're expected to realise they mean. F'rinstance, if you get asked 'where are you going?' and you say 'out' it doesn't answer exactly and I guess you can see it's a bit cheeky. But if you answer 'up the hill' you've covered what is asked; but what they probably meant was 'and how long will you be gone and is anyone with you?' as well."

"Oh." He said. "Well why don't they ask the whole thing then?"

"Because most people are lazy. It's a kind of code that most of us learn to understand. And most kids pretend not to just to be irritating; I've done it myself when I was young because I found it amusing to watch my father get frustrated as he tried to frame questions more and more exactly" she shrugged. "He and mother had had a bit of a falling out and I was trying to get attention. Only then I discovered that H'llon would have me as an apprentice so it didn't matter as much. But that's why your parents assumed you were doing it deliberately."

Kispre digested this too.

"But I wasn't. I don't. I always TRY to be good and do what people want and say what they want me to say. It just doesn't work!"

"I know, pet. And Gerney and I will try ro help you by asking you a full question or giving you a specific instruction; and by trying not to get irritated if we fail and you only answer what you've been asked. But Kispre! You must help us by trying to meet us halfway – by trying not to get cross with us if we've misunderstood you - and by trying to learn the codes and manners of speech that most folk have."

He nodded; and actually made brief eye contact with her.

"I'll try." He promised. "If you'll try not to be cross at me when I need to do things properly."

"How do you mean?"

He shuffled.

"Mother doesn't understand that I feel all hollow inside and WRONG if I don't get to do things in the right order every day. And she seems to think that it doesn't matter if she passes me my left boot before my right boot; or that the plates aren't in the right place on the table. She puts them down any old how, without them sitting nice and straight in a pattern."

Elissa thought of H'llon's chisels, lined up just so and with all the heads level.

"Why, the best way around that is to make sure you pick up your own boots; and straighten things for me if I'm too slapdash!" she said. "I expect you also have different clothes you like to wear to do different things or go different places" – another of H'llon's habits – "So I guess the best way to organise that" as he nodded "Is to tell you to be sure and put your own clothes to wash, for I shall employ someone to wash for me; and to collect them and put them away. Then I can't make a mistake, can I?" she added reasonably.

"Mother says I'm too little and too stupid to have care of my own things."

"Well I disagree with the silly creature entirely" said Elissa in a burst of irritation that lost her all sense of tact. "And as it's Gerney and me you'll look to be responsible to, her opinion is worth squat. And you'd better not repeat that back to her either!" she added belatedly.

Kispre giggled!

Elissa's three unofficial fosterlings seemed happy to adopt Kispre too; and the senior apprentice felt it was good for them to have a younger one to fuss over. Beka, though she was catching up, was still sometimes a little immature; and she and Kispre teamed up quite nicely. That they shared the opinion that Gerney was the best person on Pern helped to cement their friendship!

Everyone was looking forward to hearing who would be posted journeyman. Elissa did not even consider herself a candidate as Master Bendarek had made it plain to Gerney that he intended to post her next turn. However, she was eager to find which if any of her friends would make the big leap; she had a shrewd idea which ones it would be, for her closeness to Gerney led to her hearing more of the opinions of the masters than most of her contemporaries. Also, she knew who was good – an who the younger apprentices respected, usually a good sign! It seemed likely that most of the oldest apprentices, boys with whom she rarely mixed, would be promoted; and several from Leichalle and the twins' class. Though it was technically possible to remain an apprentice until you were twenty turns, in such a young craft as the woodcrafter hall, most achieved promotion younger. The few who were still apprentices who were older than her friends had for the most part entered the craft late, and had had to make up for lost time. It was one of the reasons they held themselves aloof. To reach twenty turns without making the grade was a great disgrace; for they would then have to return to cot or hold unqualified. There were those failed apprentices young or old who stayed on in crafthalls as part of the support staff; in the woodcrafter hall, most worked as loggers if they had failed their apprenticeship, or as marksmen if they had a head for figures. Stoffer, expelled from the craft for general incompetence and the inability to follow safety procedures had been permitted to stay on for his love of wood as an apprentice marksman rather than attempt an apprenticeship with another craft such as was his right at his young age.

The evening of the postings came, and great was the general level of excitement at supper. First came the postings to other places for those already journeymen; and Oran for one was delighted to escape 'those brats' and move on! Next, Bendarek began the announcements of those apprentices who had been promoted journeyman, starting with the oldest. Some of these were also given assignments for outplacements. Others would remain to hone their skills further and help with the younger apprentices; or to set up their own craftcot within the aegis of the main Hall.

Elissa cheered hard for Leichalle, assigned to help her father; Kyal, sent barely a step away to his own father's Hold; and Telfer, assigned to help Master Gerney with teaching in Oran's place. She gave Sadvia's hand a commiseratory squeeze as her brother walked the tables without her. Sadvia gulped; but shrugged.

"It's fair. I'm not good enough" she managed. "But I'll miss him!"

Elissa wondered privately if Kyal had been sent the short distance home to separate him from his twin and stop her leaning on him. She might yet prove a better crafter if she stood more on her own feet! She was pondering this when she noticed Arkis and Isrona standing beside her chair; and wondered why. Then, as from a great distance she heard the chant,

"Walk Elissa, walk!"

Bemused, the girl rose to her feet, permitting Isrona and Arkis to lead her to the journeymen's table as though in a dream; then suddenly it sank in. Suddenly her face suffused with joy!

"Gerney!" she turned to him: his face was as stunned as hers. He held out a hand and she ran to him. The lathemaster rose and motioned silence.

Gerney addressed the assembled woodcrafters.

"As my fellow masters have seen fit to spring the surprise of promoting to journeyman the most talented turner I ever met" he began "I think that I should make my own announcement. I shall, as soon as is convenient, be marrying journeyman Elissa." He knew that news would soon break in any case; and preferred the announcement to be from his own lips. He drew his love into his arms half defiantly.

There was a stunned silence: then everyone began to talk at once.

"Well!" declared master Tuon. "You proddy old bastard! Don't take this the wrong way, but you probably deserve each other! And I never even guessed!" he added, chagrined.

Elissa grinned at him cheerfully.

Master Isimy rumbled,

"So that was what Ben meant by saying that you were biased! Good for you, boy!"

Alaran's clear voice cut in from further down the tables.

"But I thought you didn't LIKE her, sir!"

Gerney raised an eyebrow at him.

"I can't be responsible for what you think, Alaran." He said.

Sadvia was shaking her head in amazement.

"She really is a woman" she said, bemused, half to herself. "It can't be denied. She's learned to be quite duplicitous!" she added admiringly.

Elissa sh'sh'd her friends.

"And NOW we can also tell you some more good news." She said. There was a shocked silence; at least half those present were half expecting the weyrbred hussy to shamelessly announce that she was pregnant! In blissful ignorance, Elissa went on, "We decided to start off with a family." She paused, looking puzzled as the atmosphere chilled and her friends held their breath in an agony of horrified anticipation; then she shrugged and continued. "So we shall be fostering Tahnee, Lianka, Beka and Kispre."

The relief was evident; and the thunderous applause the announcement got was loder than was strictly warranted.

Gerney asked quietly

"Did you do that on purpose?"

"Do what?"

"Let them think you were having a baby already."

"WHAT?" Elissa yelped, blushing furiously!

"Evidently not" said Gerney, dryly.

"WELL!" declared Elissa. "They talk about Weyrs; but for prurience that takes the biscuit!"

Gerney chuckled.

"Of course. Forbidden fruits are sweeter to gossip about."

"Hmm!" she grunted. "And I reckon that people behave the same way in craft or hold as in weyr. They just lie better. I'll wager I might even be one of the few brides that'll come to bed a virgin!"

"No takers" said Gerney.

After the company was dismissed, Tahnee ran up to kiss Elissa.

"Shows what you really can do by Other Means!" she grinned, still teasing Elissa about her tactics with the dress.

Elissa kissed her back. Tahnee was almost a young woman; and Elissa was sure her fosterling would one day be one of her closest frinds.

"I hope you'll be as happy as me one day" she said, sincerely. Tahnee smiled.

"I do now truly believe I can be. Now that I see that it can be so."

"Other means?" queried Gerney as Tahnee ran off with her own fellows.

"Girl talk" said Elissa, loftily.

Gerney decided not to enquire further!

It was a sevenday wonder; and Elissa was glad to escape to help Gerney put finishing touches to their house and furnishings. The children insisted on helping all they could; and the couple were glad to let them, so that they felt that they too had a stake in the family home.

"Good job I made it large." Grunted Gerney. "I wasn't expecting to need extra rooms yet awhile though!"

"You are always provident, my love." Said Elissa, blissfully. She had been congratulated by all the logicators; but had had to soothe a few ruffled feathers of those who failed to logicate that which was going on under their very noses!

An agreement was reached with Master Bendarek that Elissa was to help Gerney only part time; and work on her own projects part time from their own craftcot. That way she would be available for the children. Kispre would be doing lessons with the Crafthall harper for part of the day, and Gerney agreed that he might sit in sometimes in the latheshop on the understanding that he stayed out of the way and touched no tools. Both he and Beka, who was still vulnerable, would sleep full time with the family. Tahnee and Lianka had opted to stay in Isrona's cot, save for holidays.

"Not that we don't want to live with you" explained Tahnee "But Kisra stays with the other apprentices, and we don't want to be any different."

Elissa hugged them both.

"I quite understand." She assured them. "I expect that Beka will feel the same soon; but she's not as self confident as you two." As neither had had any nightmares for a while, Elissa felt it was good for them to be more independent. And she was hardly far away if they felt they needed her! Elissa had spoken to H'llon about Ishelle transferring to the weyr, so she as well as Elissa would be vacating Isrona's cot, and there would be plenty of room after having been for a while rather overcrowded! Only Sadvia, Kisra, the quiet Seeta and the sisters would remain, five of them, leaving room for another three. Elissa had agreed to take any overflow of female apprentices in the next intake; Beka would be in charge of them, being older, which would help her confidence. Things were moving fast; and Elissa was not quite sure if it was a little scary or just exciting!

It was a bitter winter's day when the Crafthall Harper performed the wedding ceremony. They were married outside, despite the chill, under the trees they both loved. If the harper hurried the ceremony because of the cold, few noticed!

Their fosterlings, snug in furs as attendants, scarcely noticed the cold for excitement; but Elissa remarked to Gerney,

"You know, this was a good idea in theory, but I'm frozen!"

Gerney grinned.

"I could think of a good way of warming you up."

Elissa blushed!

Saranna had helped Sahalla to produce a remarkable spread of food for the wedding feast; and it was needed, for the guests were many and eclectic, spanning two weyrs as well as the Crafthall! Elissa's parents were delighted to meet Gerney's Brown Rider father; and solemnly adjured Elissa to present her children for Impression at High Reaches. G'nal laughed; and said, no, they meant at Benden.

Elissa intervened and serenely told all that her children would stand for Impression – if they wished it – wherever THEY chose. And D'vind and Ch'sseri toasted her reply!

At last they could escape; the children were all staying with Isrona for the happy couple's first night in their new home. Gerney picked Elissa up to carry her into the silent house; and then he was kissing her, and carrying her to the great bed he had carved so lovingly for her. It was already warm; for his practical bride had set warming pans before the ceremony.

"Alone and together!" she gloated; but it was the last coherent comment she made for a very long time, for his lips kept hers occupied as they discovered each other in the soft, welcoming darkness.

**The End...of the beginning of their lives together**

_To follow: 'Elissa's Fosterlings' at a not too distant date in the future._**  
**


End file.
